Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏’s planned trip to Bahrain next week has been postponed until late December in accordance with the kingdom’s request, Walla News reported on Wednesday.

Netanyahu had contacted the United Arab Emirates to schedule a state visit for next week but since the Emirati national day falls out next week on December 2, it was requested that the prime minister’s trip wait until later in December. Manama then requested that Netanyahu delay his visit to Bahrain as well so his trip to the kingdom can coincide with his trip to the UAE as part of a general Gulf tour.

In the wake of the delay of Netanyahu’s visit, the planned visit of Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to Manama has been canceled since Bahraini protocol does not allow for a visit of a minister prior to the visit of a head of state invited by the crown prince.

Ashkenazi was planning on participating in the three-day IISS Manama Dialogue security conference from December 3-6 and would have been the most senior Israeli official to visit the kingdom.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)