Ayoob Kara
Ayoob KaraRoy Alima/Flash 90

Communications Minister Ayoob Kara (Likud) was detained by local authorities at the Dubai airport last week and did not board his scheduled flight.

The incident took place after Kara attended an international media conference in Dubai and tried to leave the emirate.

According to the report Sunday by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News, Kara was late to arrive at the airport, and did not listen to the instructions of the local authorities. This caused him to be detained for several hours and resulted in a great deal of embarrassment, the report said.

Kara’s office confirmed the details but said the minister missed his flight because airport officials took too long to inspect his passport and did not return it to him in time to board the flight.

Kara’s visit to Dubai took place shortly after Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev visited the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam judo tournament.

During her visit, the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, was played for the first time at the tournament, after Israeli judokas won medals at the tournament.

Last year, tournament organizers in Abu Dhabi banned the flag and national anthem of Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Gulf states. The policy was changed this year after the International Judo Federation warned organizers they would cancel the competition unless all athletes were allowed to participate on an equal footing.

During her trip to the UAE, Regev visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi.