THE first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE is to take place, marking a major step in normalizing relations after the announcement of a peace deal.
Israeli El Al airlines will make the three-hour trip, carrying a delegation of Israeli and US officials.
The flight is expected to be allowed to cross Saudi airspace, normally blocked to Israeli air traffic.
The UAE became only the third Arab country in the Middle East to recognize Israel since its founding in 1948.
On Saturday, the UAE repealed a law boycotting Israel which had been in place since 1972, and earlier this month the two countries opened direct telephone services for the first time.
The agreement to normalize relations – brokered by the US – was made public in a surprise announcement on August 13.
In return for official relations with the UAE, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to suspend controversial plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank – land claimed by the Palestinians for a future state of their own. (BBC)
