Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervened to prevent Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi from traveling to the UAE to inaugurate Israel’s new missions.
The move was strongly condemned among members of the Kahol Lavan party, who described Netanyahu as “sick with envy and jealousy” saying he only canceled Ashkenazi's visit because he wants to make history as the first politician to visit the UAE.
Despite the criticism, Netanyahu insisted on canceling Ashkenazi's trip which was scheduled for Monday. He sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the visit is not "welcomed by the prime minister."
Earlier, Netanyahu had explicitly banned his ministers from visiting the UAE until he makes an official visit, saying no Israeli politician will travel before him to the Emirates.
Despite the progress made in ties between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, Israeli visits were limited to senior officials, most of whom were from the Prime Minister's office, the National Security Council, or the Mossad. Meanwhile, many Emirati ministers visited Israel.
Last week, Netanyahu was scheduled to visit Abu Dhabi. The trip, which wasn't expected to last more than a few hours, was canceled as Jordan held up granting Netanyahu overflight permission in retaliation for a canceled visit by Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Then, Jordanian Foreign Minister accused Israel of violating an agreement on the arrangements for the visit.
