03 Dec 2019; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a visit to London during the two-day NATO summit which starts today, Israeli media reported yesterday.
Quds Press reported Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth saying that the trip was cancelled after Netanyahu was informed that London would have not be able to afford private security for him.
The Times of Israel reported Israeli TV Channel 13 reporting the UK government saying it could not accommodate Netanyahu, who was not invited to the NATO summit.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said British officials were unhappy that Netanyahu was to visit London for the second time in a very short period to meet foreign officials.
The incumbent Israeli prime minister, who has spent the year struggling to form a government following two elections and who has been indicted on charges of corruption, visited London in September to meet US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper. He also met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the visit.
This time, the Israeli media said, he planned to meet several world leaders on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu is now planning to travel to Lisbon, Portugal, in order to meet with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The UK is hosting a NATO summit tomorrow, with a reception hosted by the queen at Buckingham Palace also scheduled during the two-day formalities.
