The Israeli minister who was unable to attend COP26 due to being in a wheelchair was finally able to participate in the summit

Israel’s energy minister, who uses a wheelchair, was able to attend the world climate summit on Tuesday, after the police had prevented him from reaching the place.

Energy Minister Karine Elharrar arrived at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, using a ramp to enter the building, according to images sent by Bennett’s office.

“Tomorrow exactly the same will be here”he said, gesturing toward the accessible entrance. “It is very important, so is the message” it sends, said.

An Elharrar spokeswoman said Monday that she was unable to attend the conference after police officers at a checkpoint did not allow her vehicle with the wheelchair to pass.

Elharrar spokeswoman Shaked Eliyahu said that even though conference organizers knew it required an accessible entrance, the minister’s car was prevented from getting close for two hours, after which she was offered a ride in a ferry, which was not wheelchair accessible.

It was there when Elharrar, who has muscular dystrophy, He returned to his hotel in Edinburgh after the bad time he lived.

“I came to COP26 to meet my counterparts from around the world and promote a common fight on the climate crisis. It is sad that the UN, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, in 2021, does not provide accessibility to its events. It is hoped that the lessons learned will be learned so that tomorrow the promotion of green energy, the elimination of barriers and energy efficiency are the things that I will deal with, ”the minister tweeted.

In this regard, the prime minister of Israel spoke with the minister and called it “unacceptable” that the organizers of the summit did not allow her to enter.

The incident was an embarrassment to the organizers of the high-profile event and prompted apologies from British officials.

“We deeply regret that incident.”Environment Secretary George Eustice told BBC radio on Tuesday. “What would normally happen in this situation is that Israel would have communicated that they had that particular need for their minister.”

“Obviously there was something that went wrong in this case and they weren’t aware of it, so they hadn’t made the correct arrangements at the particular entrance she was coming to.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted that “it is impossible to safeguard our future and address the climate crisis, without first and least taking care of people, including ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities.”

Last Friday, before the summit in Glasgow began, Israel announced that it was committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, joining many countries that have made similar announcements.

In July, the Hebrew state announced a plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 85% by 2050 compared to 2015, a less ambitious goal than the carbon neutrality adopted by most developed countries.

“With this new goal, Israel aligns itself with developed countries that are already taking steps to achieve the zero-emissions goal and confirms its commitment to the Paris Agreement and international agreements on the subject.“Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.

(with information from AP)

KEEP READING: