Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, citing a disagreement with Jordan over crossing its airspace.
Israel normalised ties with the UAE last year and has been bound by a peace treaty with Jordan since 1994.
“His visit was postponed due to difficulties in coordinating his flight in Jordanian airspace,” Netanyahu s office said in a statement.
The statement said that the overflight row stemmed from the cancellation by Israel of a planned visit on Wednesday by Jordan s Crown Prince Hussein to the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Al-Aqsa mosque compound is Islam s third holiest site and Jordan is the custodian of the compound, known by Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif and as the Temple Mount by Jews.
The prince s visit was called off following “a dispute over security and safety arrangements at the site,” the Israeli statement added.
Netanyahu later said he had spoken with UAE s leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
“We agreed that we would meet very soon, … and that the UAE would invest $10 billion in investments in Israel,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu told reporters that the UAE trip “was not possible due a misunderstanding” with Jordan.
Jordan has subsequently cleared Netanyahu s plane for travel, according to the premier s office.
