Cop26: Israeli minister says she could not access summit in wheelchair

“It is sad that the UN, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, in 2021, does not provide accessibility to its events,” she tweeted

Karine Elharrar arriving for consultations on the formation of a coalition government at the President’s residence in Jerusalem earlier this year (REUTERS)

Israel’s energy minister has said she was left unable to take part in Monday’s proceedings at Cop26 as the venue was not wheelchair accessible.

Karine Elharrar was unable to reach the grounds of the conference as the only available options for transport were shuttle buses that were unsuitable for wheelchairs or walking, Israel’s Channel 12 told Reuters.

Tweeting about the event, she expressed her sadness that the UN “does not provide accessibility to its events” despite it promoting the importance of increasing accessibility for those with disabilities.

The translation of her tweet reads: “I came to COP26 to meet with my counterparts around the world and promote a common struggle in 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.”

She added: “Hopefully the lessons learned will be learned so that tomorrow green energy promotion, removal of barriers and energy efficiency will be the things I will deal with.”

The UK ambassador to Israel has since tweeted an apology.

“I am disturbed to hear that @KElharrar was unable to attend meetings at #COP26 I apologise deeply and sincerely to the Minister. We want a COP Summit that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone,” Neil Wigan wrote.

The Independent has approached the organisers of Cop26 for comment.

George Eustice, the UK environment minister, said “we deeply regret that incident”.

He added: “What would normally happen in this situation is that Israel would have communicated that they had that particular need for their minister — there was obviously something went wrong in this incident and they weren’t aware of that and so they hadn’t made the right provisions for the particular entrance she was coming to. It’s deeply regrettable, we’ve apologised.”

Meanwhile inside the summit, India - The world’s third-biggest carbon emitter - disappointed Downing Street by naming 2070 as its target date to reach net zero – 20 years later than the summit’s aim – but won praise for its first climate plan nevertheless.

Hailing “real leadership” that suggested India’s emissions will peak by 2030, Professor Nicholas Stern, of the London School of Economics, said: “This was a very significant moment for the summit.”

India’s role in Glasgow is seen as crucial if the summit is to “keep 1.5C alive” – the limit on the global temperature rise since industrialisation if runaway climate change is to be averted.