Netanyahu turns down last-minute invite to Egypt summit, citing upcoming holiday

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Times of Israel

Netanyahu turns down last-minute invite to Egypt summit, citing upcoming holiday

PM said to back out of Trump-brokered visit for fear of criticism over being seen with PA’s Abbas, Turkey’s Erdogan; Indonesia denies president to arrive Tuesday for historic visit

By Nava Freiberg,

Lazar Berman,

Nurit Yohanan

and Agencies

13 October 2025, 2:43 pm

Updated at 3:14 pm




US President Donald Trump greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 13, 2025, near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but declined to attend a summit of international leaders in Egypt on Monday aimed at advancing Washington’s plans for Gaza and the region, after US President Donald Trump arranged for the premier’s invitation.

Israel and Egypt announced Netanyahu’s invitation to the summit – co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi — earlier on Monday, after the US president sought Netanyahu’s participation ahead of his Knesset address and as the hostage release phase of his Gaza ceasefire plan began.

Netanyahu’s office thanked Trump for the invitation, but said that he would not be making the trip due to the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which starts at sundown Monday and ends on Tuesday night.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are among the 30 world leaders expected at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, along with the leaders of Qatar and Indonesia.

As reports emerged of Netanyahu’s invitation to the summit, plans for a visit by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to Israel were also said to have been finalized. A source familiar with the details confirmed to The Times of Israel that Subianto would arrive in Israel on Tuesday.

However, Indonesia denied the reports several hours later.

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit together in a car after a welcoming ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)


Netanyahu’s invitation to the summit was arranged during the premier’s ride with Trump from Ben Gurion Airport to the Knesset on Monday morning, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the details. During the drive, Trump suggested that Netanyahu attend, and the prime minister was said to have agreed.

Trump later phoned Sissi and asked him to extend a formal invitation, which the Egyptian leader did shortly afterward, according to the report.

Sissi had avoided speaking to Netanyahu throughout the Gaza conflict, amid strained ties between Cairo and Jerusalem.

Trump told reporters en route to Israel overnight Sunday that he was unsure why Netanyahu had not been invited, adding that “Egypt is in charge of the invites.”

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, greets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during the emergency Arab summit at Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, just outside Cairo, March 4, 2025. (Egyptian Presidency Media Office via AP)


Channel 12 reported later on Monday that Netanyahu later backed out of the summit due to concerns of blowback from his political base and members of his right-wing coalition if he were to join a gathering that included Abbas and other controversial Arab and Muslim leaders, such as Erdogan.

Netanyahu has long asserted that the PA will not be allowed to play a role in the post-war management of Gaza, repeatedly likening Ramallah, which backs a two-state solution, to Hamas.

Erdogan has been one of Israel’s fiercest critics throughout the Gaza war, repeatedly comparing Netanyahu to Hitler.

Separately, a Turkish government official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said Erdogan launched a diplomatic initiative that gained support from several other nations, ultimately causing Netanyahu to nix his participation.

The Turkish official declined to confirm media reports claiming Erdogan’s plane circled above the Red Sea as the president threatened to boycott the meeting, and that it only landed once it was clear Netanyahu would not be present.

But a source with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel that, while Erdogan did threaten to boycott the summit, his warning came after Netanyahu had already announced that he would not be attending, despite Egypt’s invitation.

Monday’s summit is intended to finalize an agreement to end the Gaza war and build support for the second phase of Trump’s peace plan, which seeks to disarm Hamas and establish a new governing body in the Strip, according to Cairo.

In the statement from his office, Netanyahu credited Trump with the invitation, without mentioning Sissi, thanking the American president for his “efforts to expand the circle of peace — peace through strength,” while adding that he wouldn’t be able to attend due to the holiday.

Israeli leaders historically avoid travel on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, except under extraordinary circumstances.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that Netanyahu canceled the trip because of ostensible concerns that traveling on a Jewish festival would spark strife within his coalition, but that the ultra-Orthodox United Judaism party said it made no objections or threats in that regard.

Though initial reports said the Palestinian Authority would not be represented, a Palestinian official confirmed Sunday evening to The Times of Israel that Abbas would attend the summit, despite Israel ruling out any postwar role for the PA in Gaza.

In its initial confirmation of Netanyahu’s participation, the Egyptian presidency also mentioned the participation of Abbas. According to the announcement, the attendance of both leaders was intended to “reaffirm commitment to the Gaza ceasefire agreement.”

Indonesia denies president to make landmark visit to Israel

Indonesian officials on Monday afternoon denied reports that the country’s President Prabowo Subianto was planning to visit Israel on the following day, in what would have been a first visit of a head of state from Jakarta to the country.

They said Subianto would return home Tuesday after participating in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.

Subianto had given an initial green light to interlocutors that he would make the historic visit. However, he was very concerned about domestic pushback over the move and ultimately backed out once the plan was leaked to the press, a source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel.

The source said Jakarta is now trying to save face by having its Foreign Ministry deny reports of Subianto’s planned trip, while claiming that one had never even been planned.

According to CNN Indonesia, the country’s foreign minister, Sugiono, said in a statement about the rumored visit: “It is not true. As originally planned, the president will return to Indonesia after the events in Egypt are concluded.”

Earlier this week, Netanyahu asked the Jerusalem District Court to cancel his Wednesday hearing in his corruption trial due to expected visits by foreign dignitaries that day, including an “exceptionally urgent and important diplomatic visit,” the latter a possible reference to the prospect of a visit by Subianto.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto speaks during a signing ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on September 24, 2025. (Dave Chan / AFP)


In September, Subianto referred to Israel in surprisingly warm terms during his UN speech in September, ending his address with the word “Shalom.”

“We must also recognize, we must also respect, and we must also guarantee the safety and security of Israel. Only then can we have real peace,” Subianto said, adding that once Israel recognizes Palestine, “Indonesia will immediately recognize the State of Israel.”

The two countries do not have formal relations, and ties remain fragile.

On Friday, Indonesian officials said the country will block Israeli athletes from competing at the upcoming gymnastics world championships in Jakarta, claiming that the sport’s international governing body supports the decision, which came after their planned participation had sparked intense opposition in the Muslim-majority nation, long a staunch supporter of Palestinians.

A Trump administration official told The Times of Israel on Sunday that the Sharm al-Sheikh confab “could tee up a wider movement toward normalization” between Israel and countries in the Arab world, a shared goal of Israel and the Trump administration.