Israel invites bin Zayed to visit Jerusalem and flights soon via Saudi Arabia

Today, Israel extended an invitation to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, to visit occupied Jerusalem, and confirmed that it is working to operate direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi through Saudi airspace. Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official stated that Bahrain, Oman and Sudan are "on the agenda."

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said in a tweet on Twitter that he invited Bin Zayed to visit occupied Jerusalem, after the agreement to normalize relations between the two countries, which was announced last Thursday in America.

Rivlin tweeted, "I hope that this step will contribute to building and strengthening the mutual trust between us and the peoples of the region, a trust that will consolidate understanding between us all."

He continued in the tweet, "Such confidence, as you have demonstrated with a lofty and courageous step, will push our region forward and provide prosperity and stability to the entire Middle East population."

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his government is working to operate direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi through Saudi airspace, indicating that the Emiratis are very interested in a huge investment in Israel.

"I want to tell you that we are operating direct flights in Saudi airspace between Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Tabi, a short trip that takes three hours, just like a trip to Rome," Netanyahu said in a press statement during his visit to Ben Gurion Airport.

He added, "This will bring about a change in the Israeli air navigation and the economy of Israel, with a large total in terms of the number of tourists from both sides, and it will also bring huge investments."

An Israeli airline had submitted a formal request to operate direct flights to the UAE within the framework of the agreement announced between the two sides.

In the context, an Emirati official expressed her hope that many Israelis will participate in the "Expo Dubai", which is scheduled to start in early October 2021.

In an interview with the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz", Hind Al-Otaiba, Director of Strategic Communication at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the normalization agreement as "historic," and indicated that the UAE is keen to make progress in terms of opening embassies and issuing reciprocal work visas.

"We hope to see many Israelis in 2021 at the Dubai Expo, as Israel has already confirmed its participation in the past," she added.

Al-Otaiba announced yesterday that the UAE foreign ministers, Abdullah bin Zayed and Israel, Gabi Ashkenazi, "launched the lines of communication between the UAE and the State of Israel, exchanged congratulations, and affirmed their commitment to fulfilling the terms of the peace treaty between the two countries."

For his part, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that strategic decisions are transformative and have their impact and influence, indicating that the UAE's decision is future and strengthens its position and competitiveness.

On Saturday, the Israeli Ministry of Communications said that telecom service providers in the UAE lifted the ban on calls from numbers bearing Israel's international phone code, +972.

In his tweet on Twitter, Gargash said that the Emirati-Israeli peace treaty is a sovereign decision not directed at Iran, expressing his refusal to interfere in his country's decisions and rejecting what he called threats and intimidation, whether the source of bullying or anxiety, as he put it.

Meanwhile, Israeli radio confirmed that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen would travel to Abu Dhabi to meet its crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, in order to finalize an agreement to normalize relations between the two countries.

In light of expectations of other countries making normalization with Israel, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement to the Israeli Army Radio, "Other agreements will be signed with more Gulf countries and Islamic countries in Africa."

He continued, "I think that Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman are definitely on the agenda. In addition, in my estimation, there is, in my estimation, an opportunity already next year for a peace agreement with other countries in Africa, especially Sudan."

As the wave of Arab anger continued, Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh criticized the Emirati step of normalization with Israel, saying it represented a flagrant departure from the Arab consensus.

In a speech delivered at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Shtayyeh stressed continuing to confront the annexation plans and the Israeli settlement plans.

Shtayyeh stressed that the issue of annexation and its freezing came as a result of the solidity of the Palestinian position and not for another reason, and talking about Palestine and what it accepts and rejects is the matter of the Palestinian leadership, adding that strengthening the Emirati arsenal of weapons from the American supplier will not be at the expense of occupied Jerusalem and Palestine.

He stressed that the possibility of the next administration returning to the Iranian-American agreement should not be a reason for an Arab battle at the expense of Palestine, and that supporting Trump in his election campaign should not be at the expense of the Palestinians.