It seems that one can't quite keep up with the pace of events. A day after the historic flight from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv passed through Saudi airspace, the official state outlet in Riyadh announced that all flights to the UAE would be able to fly over the kingdom, including Israeli carriers.
We have waited dozens of years for this development to take place. Saudi Arabia is not just any other country. It is much bigger and much more conservative than other Gulf states and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, considers himself to be the leader of the Sunnis. Thus, a Saudi green light for Israeli overflights is no ordinary thing; it is a clear message that reverberates from Tehran to Rabat and from Ankara to Pretoria, and may have implications for many years to come.
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The Arab boycott on Israel was imposed in 1945, even before the state was born. And now, 75 years later, the ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is effectively saying that the era of boycotts is over.
Let's stop and think about what all this means. There is peace with Egypt and Jordan; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers have already visited Oman and the UAE; there have been breakthroughs in relations with Chad and Sudan, and now the queen mother of the Sunni world, the author of the Saudi Peace Initiative and the bankroller of many regimes in the region, has said it loud and clear: The Star of David can fly over our territory. For the time being this is just about overflight rights, but there will come a time when Israelis will be able to actually set foot in the kingdom. One thing is abundantly clear: Saudi Arabia wants to talk peace with Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the architect of this breakthrough, said on Wednesday that this will have enormous implications for Israel's economy, by lowering airfare for those who want to fly east, as well as in other aspects.
Netanyahu gets credit to promoting the idea that Israel can get closer ties to the Arab world without necessarily making concessions to the Palestinians. But it is Jared Kushner and his team who have made this into reality under the leadership of President Donald Trump, using his newly revealed peace plan.
Some on the Israeli Right are angry that Kushner's efforts have stifled the Israeli move to extend sovereignty to certain parts of Judea and Samaria. There is no doubt that this promise must be implemented, but in light of the tremendous strides Trump and Kushner have made in helping Israel's stature, there is no justification for attacking the administration.
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