Following Cairo's previous announcement that he would participate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday's summit for ending the Gaza war in Egypt, according to his office.
US President Donald Trump had invited Netanyahu to attend the world leaders summit in Sharm el Sheikh, but he turned it down "because of the timing's proximity to the beginning of (a Jewish) holiday," according to a statement from Netanyahu's office."The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his invitation and for his efforts to expand the circle of peace -peace through strength," read the statement.
According to a previous statement from the Egyptian presidential spokeswoman, Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were anticipated to attend the summit "to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza and reaffirm their commitment to it."
The spokeswoman added that during their visit to Israel on Monday, Trump and Netanyahu had a phone conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
