Israel has approved an El Al flight taking off Monday for Abu Dhabi, which would be Israel’s first commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates. The decision came after the two countries agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalize relations. Arab News reports
The confirmation of the flight comes as the latest solid sign of a deal that saw Israel agree to hold plans to annex land sought by the Palestinians. It also brought into the open a long-standing relationship between Israel and the UAE that both countries hope now will benefit their economies and strengthen their ties to the US amid tensions with Iran.
The website of the Israel Airports Authority listed the flight on Friday. It said the flight would be numbered LY971.
US officials earlier said the first flight will include American officials led by President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, national security advisers and Israeli delegation made up of experts in aviation and ministries.
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