Netanyahu Wanted Skies Closed After Jordanian Incident  

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week ordered Israel’s airspace completely closed to flights entering or leaving Jordan, after his planned flight to the United Arab Emirates was delayed due to Jordanian interference, Israel’s Hebrew daily Maariv reported Sunday. According to the story, which has been confirmed by multiple sources, the prime minister, enraged by the fact that his scheduled summit in Abu Dhabi with the Emirati crown prince was scrubbed on Thursday, instructed Israel’s Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority to close the skies for any planes heading to and from Jordan. The request, which if executed would have been a serious breach of Jerusalem’s peace treaty with Amman, was passed down without consulting other government officials, and was to take effect immediately but, after several hours of resistance by aviation authority officials, was canceled. Jordan on Thursday took its time approving Netanyahu’s flight to the UAE through its airspace, leading to cancellation of the visit. The move was reportedly in response to a Wednesday incident in which Amman’s crown prince was forced to abort his visit to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount because of Israeli restrictions.