Israel’s Netanyahu postpones UAE trip amid security minister’s Aqsa visit

By Mucahit Aydemir

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed his official visit to the United Arab Emirates scheduled for next week, local media reported on Tuesday.

The visit was postponed “to allow governments to work together to ensure the successful completion of the trip,” according to Israeli television broadcaster Channel 12.

The decision came after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex despite warnings of unrest earlier Tuesday.

It would be the premier’s first official visit to the UAE after the new Israeli government headed by Netanyahu was sworn in last week in coalition with right-wing parties following elections in November.

Far-right Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, a day after announcing he postponed the visit amid warnings of unrest, according to Israeli media.

The move sparked backlash across the world, with many countries, including the United Arab Emirates, releasing condemnation messages.

“The UAE strongly condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard by an Israeli minister under the protection of Israeli forces,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ministry urged Israel to halt serious and provocative violations taking place there.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara