Open Direct Flights To The Arabian Peninsula, Israel Record A New History Of Peace With The UAE?

Benjamin Netanyahu (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The main assistant to the President of the United States (US) Donald Trump and Prime Minister (PM) Israel Benjamin Netanyahu made the first historic flight from Tel Aviv to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The trip was undertaken to finalize a pact marking open relations between Gulf state powers and Israel.

With the word 'peace' printed in Arabic, English and Hebrew above the cockpit window, the El Al Boeing 737 takes off from Tel Aviv for Abu Dhabi. The flight takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Launching Reuters on Monday, August 31, before starting discussions in Abu Dhabi, the delegates also made aviation history. Israeli commercial aircraft fly over Saudi Arabia with direct flights from Tel Aviv to the UAE.

"Such is the goal of peace," Netanyahu said, describing a formal engagement agreement with an Arab state that does not require giving up lands captured by Israel in the 1967 war.

Announced on August 13, the Israel-UAE normalization deal is the first accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years. Much of it was catalyzed by shared fear of Iran.

Arab-Israeli Agreement

Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and national security adviser Robert O'Brien headed the US delegation. Meanwhile the Israeli team was led by O'Brien's colleague, Meir Ben-Shabbat. Officials will explore bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and tourism. The Israeli defense envoy will visit the UAE separately.

"I prayed yesterday at the (Western) Wall that Muslims and Arabs around the world will witness this flight, realizing that we are all children of God, and that the future does not have to be predetermined by the past," said Kushner at the airport. Ben-Gurion Tel Aviv prior to his departure for the UAE.

Israeli officials hope the two-day trip will produce a date for the agreement signing ceremony between the UAE and Israel. It is hoped that the signing will take place as early as September. The signing will be made between Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

The normalization of the UAE's relations with Israel has disappointed the Palestinians. Moreover, Palestinians fear it will weaken the pan-Arab position that calls for Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory in exchange for normal relations with Arab countries.

Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, said Jared Kushner was trying hard to convince as many Arab and Muslim leaders as possible to give Trump the win in the 2020 US elections.

"They will become a backdrop against a meaningless spectacle for a ridiculous deal that will not bring peace to the region," said Ashrawi.