In an attempt to head off a potential diplomatic crisis with Jordan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference on Thursday that his planned visit to the United Arab Emirates had not taken place due to a "misunderstanding."
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"I can fly through Jordanian airspace, but until we coordinate, the visit [to the UAE] won't be possible," Netanyahu said.
Shortly before Netanyahu's flight was scheduled to depart on Thursday, Jordan announced it would not allow the aircraft to cross its airspace, apparently because a planned visit by Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah to the Temple Mount had been cancelled over security arrangements.
However, the prince's visit was not the only recent incident involving the Temple Mount. Senior Jordanian officials claimed that Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and former Prime Minister Ehud Barak had intentionally tried to upset King Abdullah and torpedo Netanyahu's trip to the UAE.
Jordanian officials who spoke to Israel Hayom also claimed that Prince Hussein had been scheduled to meet with Lapid during his visit to the Temple Mount. Some members of the prince's entourage said that after Netanyahu's staff learned that he might be meeting with Lapid, they found an excuse to cancel the prince's visit.
Lapid's office said in response to the reports: "We have no idea what they are talking about. We never set up any such meeting."
Netanyahu said Thursday that he had spoken by telephone to Emirati Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and they agreed he would visit "very soon." He also said the Emiratis informed him of plans to invest $10 billion in Israel.
There was no immediate comment from the UAE.
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