An Etihad Airways cargo plane carrying aid from the United Arab Emirates to help the Palestinians combat the coronavirus pandemic landed in Israel on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said. It was the second direct commercial flight flown between the two countries in a month.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner decorated in the Gulf airline's markings arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport carrying humanitarian aid provided by the UAE.
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Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he had not been informed about the flight.
His remarks, after the flight was announced by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, cast doubt over whether the Palestinians – at odds with Israel over occupied land they seek for a state – would accept the supplies.
"If any country, whether Arab or European wants to help us, we welcome that. We don't say no– as long as it is not conditional and as long as it is fully coordinated with us," Shtayyeh told reporters in Ramallah.
Last month, an unmarked Etihad commercial flight carrying medical equipment for the Palestinians landed in Israel – the first-ever direct commercial flight between the UAE and Israel.
But the Palestinian leadership rejected the shipment, saying it hadn't been coordinated with the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian officials are also concerned the flights are a step toward normalization. The aid from the first plane was set to be transferred to the Gaza Strip, and not the West Bank.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that "the aid will be transferred to Gaza and the Palestinian Authority by the UN and COGAT," the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories. The ministry said the plane's arrival had been coordinated with Israel.
The two flights have delivered some 16 tons of material, including personal protective equipment and around 15 ventilators, in response to an appeal led by the United Nations for the Palestinian people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a UN official said.
The UN plans to distribute the equipment to the Palestinians most in need and is likely to send a large part to the Gaza Strip, the official said, noting the increased needs there and the particularly weak health infrastructure.
Last month's flight marked a moment of cooperation between Israel and the UAE after years of rumored back-channel communications regarding the mutual concerns about Iran and other matters.
The UAE has no official diplomatic ties with Israel.
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