Donald Trump cancels Israel trip, 3,70,000 in UK support a ban

Republican Donald Trump has scrapped a planned trip to Israel, saying he will reschedule “at a later date after I become President of the US”.

Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday that he is postponing the trip, which had become problematic for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Viewed as a Republican Party supporter, Mr Netanyahu’s position became risky after Mr Trump called for keeping Muslims from entering the US and making controversial comments to a Jewish group.

Mr Trump said there were many reasons he decided to hold off on a trip, among them that he did not want to put Mr Netanyahu in a bind. “In fact, I did a campaign ad for him, and he’s a good man, but I didn’t want to put him under pressure,” Mr Trump said.

Meanwhile, Israeli politicians and more than 3,70,000 Britons urged their governments on Wednesday to bar Mr Trump from their countries after he called for a ban on Muslims in the US. The calls were part of a growing global backlash against his proposal that began to hit the real estate mogul’s brand in the Middle East.

In addition to the online petition calling for a ban on Mr Trump from the United Kingdom, a Scottish university revoked his honorary degree.