Audio By Carbonatix
An Israeli minister has said she could not attend the COP26 summit on Monday because it was not wheelchair accessible.
Karine Elharrar tweeted that it was "sad" the UN "does not provide accessibility to its events".
An official in Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's delegation said they had formally complained to organisers.
Mr Bennett said he would not attend on Tuesday if Ms Elharrar could not access the summit, the official added.
UK ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan tweeted that he had apologised "deeply and sincerely" to the minister.
"We want a COP Summit that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone," he wrote.
Ms Elharrar reportedly told Israel's Channel 12 that she could not get onto the grounds of the conference because the only options were to either walk or take a shuttle that was not suitable for a wheelchair.
Her office told the Times of Israel she waited outside the venue in Glasgow for two hours, and she was eventually forced to return to her hotel in the Scottish capital Edinburgh 80km (50 miles) away.
James Cleverly, a UK foreign office minister, said he was "deeply disappointed and frustrated" Ms Elharrar could not access the summit.
"The COP venue is designed to be accessible for all. I have spoken to the Minister about this and I look forward to meeting her tomorrow," he tweeted.
An official in the Israeli PM's delegation said Mr Bennett had told UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the incident, and Mr Johnson had invited Ms Elharrar to join a meeting between the two prime ministers on Tuesday.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana Mineworkers Union demand suspension of contract mining directive, threaten industrial action
21 minutes -
ADB Ghana Medicals constructing and equipping new Cardiothoracic Centre at Komfo Anokye
29 minutes -
AFREIKH Summer School challenges Africa to harness critical minerals
38 minutes -
Government plans 2,000-acre pharmaceutical innovation park in Osudoku to boost local drug production
40 minutes -
Partey undergoes medical ahead of Al Shabab move in Saudi Arabia
43 minutes -
Today’s front pages: Friday, August 21, 2026
1 hour -
Power outages could drive up cost of digital services — NITA
1 hour -
Patients face basic sanitation gaps in West African health facilities — WHO / UNICEF
1 hour -
Competence has no age; let’s stop punishing new businesses
1 hour -
JoyNews Republic Bank Habitat Fair 2026 opens today at Achimota Mall
1 hour -
What Is Wrong With Us: The roads that keep counting our dead
2 hours -
MTN condemns recent xenophobic attacks on Ghanaians in South Africa
2 hours -
Philip Nai: What happens at your front desk can make or break your brand
2 hours -
Ghana’s mining deaths fall sharply, but Chamber insists ‘three deaths are too many’
3 hours -
Tatale Sanguli officials destroy expired food products, warn traders
3 hours