JERUSALEM — Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has said that his refusal to sign a $35 billion gas agreement with Egypt has prompted his U.S. counterpart to cancel a planned trip to Israel.

A statement from Cohen's office on Thursday night said that U.S. officials had been “exerting a great deal of pressure on Israeli officials” to approve the deal, but it said that the minister would refuse to do so “until Israeli interests are secured and a fair price for the Israeli market is agreed upon.”

The move, the statement said, prompted U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to cancel his trip to Israel. Wright's office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. U.S. officials in Israel declined to comment. Egypt's Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for com

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