Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday postponed a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing travel restrictions imposed in the battle against coronavirus, reports Media.
“Despite the importance of the trip to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to postpone the visit at this stage due to the closing of the skies,” an English language statement from the premier’s office said. It did not mention a new date.
A Netanyahu spokesman had written Wednesday on Twitter that the premier would visit the UAE and “perhaps Bahrain” next week.
The two states normalized relations with Israel in a US-backed accord last year.
The planned trip would have been Netanyahu’s first official visit to the Gulf countries since the September signing.
As part of a national coronavirus lockdown, Israel last month banned international flights and closed its land borders.
