Israel and UAE agree on visa-free travel as they mark 'glorious day of peace'

The first official delegate from the United Arab Emirates visited Israel on October 20. According to the reports by AP, the United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accompanied Emirati Finance Minister Obaid Humaid al-Tayer and other senior officials from the UAE. As a result of this meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that both UAE and Israel have agreed for visa-free travel for their nationals.

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(An official stands at the door of an Israeli El Al airliner after it landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The first commercial passenger flight to Israel by a carrier from the United Arab Emirates landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Image Credits: AP)

Relations improve between Israel and UAE

As per the reports by AP, Netanyahu during a ceremony said, “Today we are making history. We are making history in a way that will stand for generations”. He added, “We will remember this day, a glorious day of peace”. Al Tayer from UAE reportedly said that the Emirates is looking forward to establishing legal frameworks with Israel “to achieve prosperity for both our economies and our people”. 

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Israel and UAE announced that they had agreed to normalize ties under the Abraham Accords that were signed at the White House in a US-brokered peace agreement on September 15. When UAE signed the historic agreement, it became the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to officially normalise ties with Israel.  At the ceremony, Mnuchin said, “The Abraham Accords establish direct economic ties between two of the Middle East’s most thriving and advanced economies”. He added, “These ties create a tremendous foundation for economic growth, opportunity, innovation and prosperity. With greater economic prosperity comes stronger security”.

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(Image Credits: Facebook/Obaid Humaid al-Tayer/AP)