First Israel flight lands in Abu Dhabi
A Star of David- adorned El Al plane flew from Israel to the UAE on Monday, carrying a high- ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi in the first- ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries.
The El Al flight marked the implementation of the historic US- brokered deal to normalise relations between the two nations and solidifies the longclandestine ties between them over shared enmity toward Iran. The UAE is the third Arab nation to have full ties with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.
The US delegation includes President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son- in- law Jared
Kushner and NSA Robert O’Brien. Israel was represented by NSA Meir BenShabbat and the director generals of several ministries.
“While this is a historic flight, we hope that this will start an even more historic journey for the
Middle East and beyond,” Mr Kushner told reporters.
The El Al flight, numbered LY971 as a gesture to the UAE’s international calling code, flew into Saudi Arabian airspace shortly after takeoff and overflew Riyadh, which marked another historic first for Israel.
“They were very gracious to allow us to fly over their airspace, which they’ve never done before, for an Israeli commercial plane,” Mr Kushner said.
He said he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia after the visit. Kushner and other officials have said they hope more Arab nations will follow the UAE in establishing ties with Israel, even without a peace agreement with the Palestinians.