Abu Dhabi (AFP)
A US-Israeli delegation left Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after an unprecedented official visit where officials from the three countries discussed future cooperation in different areas, as part of a normalization of relations between the Hebrew state and the Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates, a federal state whose capital Abu Dhabi is one of the seven emirates, is the first Gulf country to have officially established ties with Israel under the auspices of US President Donald Trump.
His son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner led the delegation that arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday on the first direct commercial flight between Tel Aviv and the Emirates.
It was not clear, however, whether Mr Kushner was returning to Israel or heading to another country in the region.
The three countries announced in a joint statement Monday discussions on cooperation in seven areas: investment, finance, health, space exploration, civil aviation, foreign policy and tourism and culture.
"The result will be broad cooperation between two of the region's most innovative and dynamic economies," they said Monday after talks between Mr. Kushner and Israeli national security advisers Meir Ben-Shabbat, and Emirati, Sheikh Tahnoun ben Zayed.
The US-Israel delegation arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday via El Al's first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv.
American flags fluttered alongside the Star of David banners on the cockpit of the aircraft where the word "peace" was written in Arabic, English and Hebrew above the name of the Israeli town of Kiryat Gat.
"We are deeply saddened to see an Israeli plane land in the Emirates under the name of Kiryat Gat, a settlement built on the (Palestinian) lands of Al-Faluja," lamented Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh after the landing. plane to Abu Dhabi.
The Palestinians condemned the agreement between the Emirates and Israel, accusing Abu Dhabi of treason and violation of the Arab consensus which made the settlement of the conflict a sine qua non for the normalization of relations with the Jewish state.
The normalization agreement provides, according to the Emirates, for Israel to suspend its annexations of the territories it occupies in the West Bank, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly asserted that it was only a temporary suspension.
© 2020 AFP