Saudi Arabia has granted permission for all flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to use its airspace. The move significantly shortens the flying time between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi or Dubai, Trend reports with reference to Globes.
Within minutes of the first report of the Saudi announcement by "Reuters," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video clip welcoming the development.
Netanyahu said, "For years I have been working to open Israel's skies to the east. There was good news two and a half years ago when Air India received approval to fly directly to Israel. Now there is a huge new breakthrough - Israeli planes and aircraft from all countries can fly directly from Israel to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and back. This will make flights cheaper and it will shorten journeys and open up huge tourism opportunities and it will open up our economy."
He added, "It will do something else - it will open up the east. When you fly to Thailand or any other place in Asia it will shave off hours and cut the price. It is massive news for you, Israeli citizens. These are the fruits of peace and genuine peace. I want to thank Jared Kushner and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for their important contribution to this today. There will be a lot more good news."
This breakthrough is also important because it symbolizes the major Saudi involvement in the steps being taken by the UAE and lends support to the many hints being made about diplomatic developments and that more Arab countries will normalize their relations with Israel including Bahrain, Oman and perhaps even Saudi Arabia itself.