Senior US and Israeli officials landed in the UAE on Monday, this is a historic trip to finalize the normalization deal and Palestinians have to negotiate peace. It’s a pact that marks open relations between Israel and the Gulf state.
The officials also told Palestinians it was now time for them to negotiate peace, for US, Israeli and UAE are going to normalize a deal.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Washington could maintain Israel’s military edge while advancing its ties to the UAE.
Announced on August 13, the normalization deal is the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years.
Kushner says Palestinians should not be ‘stuck in the past’
The UAE’s move dismayed the Palestinians and the Muslim world. Palestinians are worried that it would weaken an Arab position that called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory.
Palestinians should not be “stuck in the past”, said Kushner.
“They have to come to the table. Peace will be ready for them, an opportunity will be ready for them as soon as they are ready to embrace it,” said Kushner.
Kushner and national security adviser Robert O’Brien head the US delegation. The Israeli team is led by O’Brien’s counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Israel and the UAE will discuss economic, scientific, trade, and cultural cooperation on the visit. Direct flights between the two countries will also be on the agenda, as per Reuters.
Even before landing, the delegates made aviation history when the Israeli commercial airliner flew over Saudi territory on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital.
“That’s what peace for peace looks like,” Netanyahu tweeted, describing a deal for formal ties with an Arab state that does not entail handover of land that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Meanwhile, The Israeli airline ELAL, carrying the officials, also flew over Saudi Arabia for the first time ever, according to social media. This is also a surprise for many.
Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected any possibility that Pakistan could establish relations with Israel. He proved once again that our green passport is not for sale. Turkey also condemned the UAE after it announced the pack with Israel.
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