Mr Elharrar was unable to attend Monday’s two-day summit program due to an incident that put the Glasgow summit organizer in an awkward position as security staff refused to allow him on a wheelchair, a spokeswoman told AFP.
According to British media, K. Elharrar could not reach the venue because the buses carrying people to it were not unsuitable for wheelchairs.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said the delegation had been trying for two hours to help Mr Elharrar get to the conference center, but ultimately failed “because it is not fully wheelchair accessible”. The Prime Minister’s Office also filed a formal complaint.
Mr Elharrar, for his part, lamented that “the UN, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, will not be concerned about the accessibility of its events in 2021”.
“I hope that the necessary lessons will be learned so that I can address the issues of green energy promotion, removing barriers and energy efficiency tomorrow,” she wrote on Twitter on Monday.
James Cleverly, a UK Foreign Office official, said he was “very disappointed” that Mr Elharrar was unable to attend the summit on Monday.
At the time, Neil Wigan, London’s ambassador to Israel, said: “I am deeply and sincerely sorry.”
A source in Mr Bennett’s delegation said the Prime Minister had discussed the issue with Mr Johnson ahead of a meeting between the two on Tuesday.
According to the source, the two leaders agreed that Mr Elharrar would “arrive at the scene with Mr Benn and attend a meeting with Mr Johnson.”
At the time, a source in the UK government confirmed that the minister would join the meeting at noon local time (2 p.m. Lithuania).
Mr Bennett’s office later posted a video on Twitter showing him arriving at the conference center with the minister.
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