Israel’s energy minister, who uses a wheelchair, has been able to attend the global climate summit on Tuesday, a day after she was prevented from reaching the venue of the summit.
According to footage sent by Bennett’s office, Energy Minister Karine Elharer arrived at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, using the blue ramp to enter the building.
“Tomorrow the exact same thing will happen here,” he said, pointing to the accessible entrance. “It’s very important, so is the message” it sends, he said.
A spokeswoman for Elharrar said Monday she could not attend the conference after police officers at a checkpoint did not allow her vehicle with a wheelchair.
Elharrar spokeswoman Sheik Eliyahu said that even though the organizers of the conference knew they needed an accessible entrance, the minister’s car was blocked from arriving for two hours, after which she was offered a ride on a shuttle. – which was not wheelchair accessible.
The incident was an embarrassment to the organizers of the high-profile event and prompted Britain’s ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, to apologize.
Following the incident, Elharrar wrote on Twitter that “it is sad that the United Nations, which advances access for people with disabilities into 2021, does not see accessibility in its programs.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a tweet addressed to the organizers of the conference that “you cannot be concerned about the future, climate and sustainability if you are not first and foremost concerned about people, access and people with disabilities.”
