Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s participation in Egypt’s international summit on Gaza hung in the balance after it transpired Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu had received a last-minute invite from US President Donald Trump.
According to Turkish media, Erdogan was en route to Sharm el-Sheikh when he heard the news of the Israeli prime minister’s late invite. He ordered his plane not to land until he could secure clear confirmation that Netanyahu would not attend the international conference to mark the end of the two-year war in Gaza.
Anadolu Agency reported that Erdoğan decided mid-flight to cancel his participation as soon as he received confirmation that Netanyahu would attend. “The president’s aircraft changed course shortly before landing in Egypt,” the report noted, adding that “after Netanyahu pulled out, the plane resumed its normal course to Sharm el-Sheikh.”
Reports suggest Erdoğan had spoken directly on the phone while in the air with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to raise his objections.
CNN reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had also informed the two hosts, Egypt and the United States, that Baghdad would not take part if Netanyahu came.
A senior Iraqi government source told the Iraqi News Agency there had been no official invitation from Cairo to Netanyahu, adding that Trump had tried to mediate, holding diplomatic contacts to secure the Israeli leader’s participation. The same source said al-Sudani was categorical, telling Cairo and Washington that Iraq would withdraw if Netanyahu attended.
The Israeli PM’s Office issued a statement on Monday afternoon defusing the mini-crisis, while paving the way for the Turkish and Iraqi leaders to attend.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Trump to participate in a conference taking place today in Egypt. The prime minister thanked President Trump for his invitation but stated that he would not be able to attend due to the proximity of the event to the start of the holiday.”
According to the Guardian, extreme right members of Netanyahu’s coalition government had also threatened to resign if he went to the conference.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Though Egypt is not a signatory to the court, his participation in the summit attended by over 20 leaders, including Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, would have ruffled feathers, particularly among those Arab states that do not enjoy normalised relations with Israel.