Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday scrapped plans to fly to Washington with his family on a private plane and said he would instead travel with the official delegation.
The reversal came after Israeli media reports that Netanyahu, his wife and two sons would be taking a separate flight to Washington for the White House ceremony marking the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates evoked public criticism due to the extra cost involved.
His Likud party initially defended the decision to take a private plane, saying it was aimed at protecting the prime minister and his family from potential exposure to the coronavirus. The official delegation, which departs Sunday, includes dozens of officials as well as media.
But after the media reports surfaced, the prime minister’s office said in a statement that the delegation would travel on one flight.
“In order not to allow the media to divert public attention from the historic peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates and possibly with other Arab countries, the prime minister will fly with the delegation in a more spacious plane, with strict separation arrangements to safeguard his health,” it said.
The U.S. visit comes as Israel considers whether to impose another lockdown ahead of Jewish High Holidays later this month.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
So instead of spending say $75,000 [I have no idea of the actual amounts] on one plane for the delegation and another $30,000 for a smaller plane for the Prime Minister, the Government of Israel is now spending $110,000 on a much large plane. In Israel this is the sort of infantile exercise that makes everyone happy.