Reports: Erdogan’s plane briefly refused to land in Egypt due to Netanyahu!

According to an Arab source for “i24NEWS,” Benjamin Netanyahu’s canceled visit to Egypt was due to objections from several countries, including Spain and South Africa, which approached Cairo expressing their refusal to allow his plane to fly over their territories because of an outstanding arrest warrant against him, questioning how Egypt could invite him despite this.

According to the Hebrew channel, the source said that “messages arrived from circles close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, confirming that the timing was not suitable for any handshake or public meeting with Netanyahu, which contributed to the decision to cancel the visit.”

According to the same source, “a group of Egyptian journalists, in cooperation with the Hind Rajab organization, studied the possibility of approaching the Egyptian judiciary to request a local arrest warrant against Netanyahu.”

The source indicated that the visit was canceled after intensive internal consultations, especially with Egyptian security agencies, to avoid any diplomatic or political embarrassment during the Sharm El-Sheikh summit.

In the same context, the “Walla” website mentioned that the cancellation was due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s opposition to participating in the summit alongside Netanyahu, as Ankara sent a message to Cairo and the organizers stating it would boycott the conference if Netanyahu attended.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also reported that Netanyahu’s office justified the cancellation due to the proximity of Jewish holidays, noting fears of angering the Haredi parties opposed to travel during the holidays, alongside concerns from the Israeli right about Netanyahu possibly shaking hands with Presidents Mahmoud Abbas or Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which could upset his electoral base.

However, the newspaper considered this justification insufficient, pointing out that Netanyahu himself had returned from a foreign visit after the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, showing that “violating the Sabbath or holiday is not always a red line,” and considered the real reason to be his desire to avoid an embarrassing situation that might force him to hear calls for a “two-state solution” or criticism regarding possible “war crimes” in Gaza.

Yedioth Ahronoth clarified that Netanyahu’s relationship with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been tense since the events of October 7, 2023, as el-Sisi refused to take his calls for months. Despite Trump’s attempts to push him to participate, the Israeli assessment is that el-Sisi would not feel comfortable hosting Netanyahu amid rising Arab anger against Israel.