Published 08:14 IST, September 1st 2020
Ivanka Trump shares video of first-ever flight between Israel & UAE; husband Jared onboard
As the UAE became the third Arab country and the first Gulf nation after Egypt and Jordan to allow an Israeli plane to enter, Ivanka Trump shared a video
- World News
- 3 min read
As the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the third Arab country and the first Gulf nation after Egypt and Jordan to allow an Israeli plane to enter, Ivanka Trump has shared a video of the flight that made history. Taking to Twitter, the daughter and advisor of US President Donald Trump, shared a video in which White House advisor Jared Kushner and National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien inside the first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, on Israel's flag carrier El Al, after the country announced on August 13 that they were establishing full diplomatic relations with the UAE, in a US-brokered deal.
Watch video here:
"A historic flight": Jared Kushner
In an address shortly prior to the plane’s takeoff, Kushner hailed the US-brokered Israel-UAE peace agreement, saying, “While this is a historic flight, we hope that it will start an even more historic journey in the Middle East and beyond.” A day earlier, on August 29, Kushner addresses the press alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien calling the first flight’s scheduled take-off for the next day of “great symbolic value” and “a key step in what is expected to be full normalization between Israel and the UAE.”
“Today obviously we celebrate a historic breakthrough for peace,” Kushner said, adding, the Trump negotiated deal implemented “previously unthinkable” economic, security, and religious cooperation. While this peace agreement was thought by many to be impossible, the stage is now set for even more,” he added.
UAE- Israel establishes diplomatic relation
In a major breakthrough ahead of the US Presidential elections, Israel and the UAE on August 13 announced that it is establishing full diplomatic relations. The deal that has been brokered by the United States, under which Israel is required to halt its plan to annex parts of the West Bank. With the development, UAE became the third Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.
While President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority called the deal a 'betrayal' by the UAE, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, called it a 'stabbing in the back'. The deal that comes right before the elections in the US, is seen as Donald Trump's effort to claim victory in his foreign policy as he is heavily criticised for having isolated the US, by pulling back from major groups, under the pretext of 'America first.' However, on August 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the West Bank annexation plan remains "on the table", though he has agreed to delay it as part of a normalisation deal with the UAE.
Updated 08:14 IST, September 1st 2020