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Netanyahu gives up on private-plane ride to Washington

With criticism pouring in from all sides, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abandons his plan to travel to Washington on a private plane.

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The Emirati, Israeli and US flags are attached to an Israeli El Al plane adorned with the word "peace" in Arabic, English and Hebrew, upon its arrival at the Abu Dhabi airport in the first commercial flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 31, 2020. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now plans to fly an El Al plane to Washington for next week's ceremony marking the Israeli-UAE deal. — KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Facing mounting public criticism, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sept. 11 that he had changed his decision to travel to Washington on Sept. 13 on a private plane. Netanyahu is set to participate in a Sept. 15 signing ceremony at the White House for the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, under the auspices of President Donald Trump.

A statement issued by Netanyahu's office said, “In order to prevent the media from diverting attention from the historic agreement with the UAE and possibly with other Arab countries as well, the prime minister will fly with the delegation in a more spacious plane, with strict separation arrangements to maintain his health.”

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