Report says Turkiye and Iraq pressure forced Bibi to pull out of Gaza summit

ISTANBUL: The opposition of and Iraq to the presence of Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu at Monday's in Egypt prompted him to cancel at the last minute, two diplomatic sources said.

"At the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and through Turkiye's diplomatic efforts - with the support of other leaders - Netanyahu did not attend the meeting in Egypt," a Turkish diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity.


Earlier, the Egyptian presidency confirmed Netanyahu's presence at the summit, but some 40 minutes later, the Israeli leader's office issued a statement saying he would be unable to attend. Although he was "invited" to attend by Trump, Netanyahu would not be attending "due to the timing" which coincides with the start at sundown of the Jewish holiday of Simhat Torah, it said.

According to Turkish media, Erdogan learned of Netanyahu's expected presence while en route to Sharm El-Sheikh, with his plane circling over the Red Sea and refusing to touch down until it was confirmed he would not be attending.

Separately, an advisor to Iraqi PM Shia al-Sudani said the Iraqi delegation would boycott the summit if Netanyahu was there. "The Iraqi delegation informed the Egyptian side that it was not prepared to participate in the regional summit if Netanyahu attended," presidential adviser Ali al-Mousawi said. "Iraq has taken a clear position on this matter and has informed the Egyptians of its rejection, and a number of other delegations have announced their intention to withdraw if Netanyahu participates," he said.

The advisor said Cairo had then informed Netanyahu he "could not be received.