Israel's prime minister abruptly called off a trip to Washington just days before he was slated to attend a conference there on the spread of nuclear weapons, officials in his office said on Friday, fearing Israel would be singled out over its own nuclear program.
Benjamin Netanyahu had said he would attend the conference to underline the dangers of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons, but suddenly called off the trip less than two days after he announced he would take part.
Officials in his office said Netanyahu reversed himself because some nations planned to use the conference to target Israel over its barely-concealed nuclear weapons program.
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They spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
US confirms pull-out
In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer confirmed that Israel had informed the US that Netanyahu would be staying home, sending his deputy, Dan Meridor, instead.
A visit by Netanyahu to Washington could also have served to bring additional attention to Israel's currently rocky ties with the Obama administration.
The Israeli leader's trip to the US capital last month failed to iron out differences between the allies on Israeli construction in east Jerusalem, a spat disrupting US efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Israel has not admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, preferring a policy it calls "ambiguity."
Based on evidence, international experts have estimated that Israel has dozens, possibly hundreds, of nuclear bombs.
