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 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 told Fox News there were many reasons he decided to hold off on the trip, among them that he did not want to put Mr Netanyahu in a difficult position. "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.
"I also did it because I'm in the midst of a powerful campaign that's going very well," he added.
Mr Trump has the Republican party in turmoil over his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US following last week's mass shooting by an Islamic militant couple that killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California.
Mr Netanyahu's office had said on Wednesday that he rejects Mr Trump's comments about Muslims but planned to move forward with the meeting.
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