Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday's summit on ending the Gaza war in Egypt, his office said, after Cairo had earlier announced he would take part.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu © Mena Today
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday's summit on ending the Gaza war in Egypt, his office said, after Cairo had earlier announced he would take part.
In a statement, Netanyahu's office said he had been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to participate in the meeting of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh but declined "due to the timing's proximity to the beginning of (a Jewish) holiday."
"The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation and for his efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength," the statement said.
An Egyptian presidential spokesperson earlier said both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu were expected to join the summit "to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to it."
The spokesperson also said Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi while they were in Israel on Monday.
Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy, Jana Chokeir and Ahmed Elimam
Benjamin Netanyahu is under criticism at home after U.S. President Donald Trump declared Israel would halt plans to attack Iran ally Hezbollah in Beirut, highlighting pressure the Israeli leader faces ahead of an election polls show him losing.
Israel kept up strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday, pressing its campaign against Hezbollah a day after U.S. President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Beirut, averting further escalation in the three-month-old war.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared Tuesday that "nothing can justify" Israel's continued military operations and prolonged presence in Lebanon, conveniently ignoring the fundamental reason Israel is there in the first place.
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