Donald Trump boasted that “everybody that we invited came,” but one major player had to turn down an invite from the U.S. president, according to Axios.
Trump had quietly tried to add the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the Egypt summit with a spur-of-the-moment limo invite—only for the plan to collapse after fierce pushback from another world leader.
During a chauffeured ride from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport to the Israeli parliament in Trump’s ‘The Beast’ limo, the president urged Netanyahu to attend the event in the seaside city of Sharm El Sheikh, Axios said.
Trump’s offer could have transformed the gathering from a symbolic event into a marquee diplomatic moment, backing the ceasefire plan and broader normalization drive, the outlet said.
Trump gave a speech at the Knesset celebrating the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, before heading off to Egypt and the scheduled high-stakes summit of regional and world leaders in Egypt.
Axios reported Netanyahu had initially indicated he would go, and the U.S. president phoned Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to secure a formal invitation.
However, hours later, the Israeli premier declined, thanking Trump and citing the proximity of a Jewish holiday as the reason.
Yet The Guardian had a different version of events regarding why Netanyahu was not there. It reported that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—who was en route in his diplomatic plane when he found out—warned that he would turn around and not participate if Netanyahu were to attend.
The day’s choreography was already delicate as 20 surviving Israeli hostages were freed in a ceasefire exchange. Trump touted a “historic dawn” in his high-profile address to Israel’s parliament in Jerusalem, the Knesset.
Inviting Netanyahu to Egypt risked overshadowing the message and spooked key attendees, according to The Guardian.
NurPhoto/Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
With ICC arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu over alleged Gaza war crimes—and Egypt not a member of the court—Erdoğan’s ultimatum highlighted how combustible his attendance would have been among Arab states that haven’t normalized ties with Israel, The Guardian said.
The paper added that Netanyahu’s far-right coalition allies also bristled at the optics of him appearing alongside regional leaders, intensifying pressure to withdraw.
All of which prompted organizers to abort the invitation amid a mid-air diplomatic standoff, leaving the event without its most controversial guest.
Later, Trump told reporters in Egypt, “You have some of the wealthiest nations in the world, all leaders, the big leaders are here. The emirs and kings and everybody. It is an interesting group.
“We have 35 countries, and that’s only because they were the 35 that we invited. Everybody that we invited came. So there is a lot of respect.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the Turkish Presidency for comment.
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