A delegation including top aides to US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Monday to put the final touches on a pact establishing open relations between the Gulf power and Israel.
After the historic flight from Tel Aviv landed in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Israeli National Security Council chief, Meir Ben-Shabat, greeted his counterparts with the Arabic blessing "As-Salam Aleikum" (peace be upon you). Trump's Senior Adviser Jared Kushner delivered a special speech on the tarmac to mark the occasion, saying people in both countries 'overwhelmingly desire' peace.
Video: Ariel Kahana
Even before discussions start in Abu Dhabi, the delegates will have made aviation history by taking an Israeli commercial airliner directly from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital over Saudi territory.
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"That's what peace for peace looks like," Netanyahu tweeted, describing a deal for formal ties with an Arab state that does not entail territorial concessions.
Head of the National Security Council Meir Ben-Shabat, who is leading the Israeli delegation, said he was excited about the trip and that the aim was to lay the groundwork for cooperation in areas like tourism, medicine, technology, and trade.
Video: Reuters
"This morning the traditional greeting of 'go in peace' takes on a special significance for us," he said.
"While this is a historic flight, we hope that this will start an even more historic journey for the Middle East and beyond," said Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner before boarding the plane.
With the word "peace" printed in Arabic, English, and Hebrew above a cockpit window, the El Al Boeing 737 took off for Abu Dhabi from Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport, a flight of about 3 hours and 20 minutes, the pilot announced to passengers.
Kushner and US national security adviser Robert O'Brien head the US delegation.
Officials will explore bilateral cooperation in areas such as commerce and tourism, and Israeli defense envoys are due to visit the UAE separately.
"I prayed yesterday at the [Western] Wall that Muslims and Arabs throughout the world will be watching this flight, recognizing that we are all children of God, and that the future does not have to be pre-determined by the past," Kushner told reporters on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
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