Israel lists first commercial passenger flight to UAE
Dubai: Israel has listed an El Al flight taking off Monday for Abu Dhabi, which would be Israel's first commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates after the two countries agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalise relations.
The website of the Israel Airports Authority listed the flight on Friday, which US officials earlier said will include officials led by President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Other US officials on board will include national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Mideast envoy Avi Berkowitz and envoy for Iran Brian Hook.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier announced that his national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, will lead Israel's delegation. A number of Israeli government ministries will also send representatives, including the directors of the foreign and defense ministries and the national aviation authority, he said.
The Israel Airports Authority said the flight would be numbered LY971, a nod to the UAE's international calling code number. A return flight to Ben Gurion International Airport on Tuesday will be numbered LY972, Israel's international calling code.
Authorities in Israel and the UAE did not immediately acknowledge the flight.
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two countries agreed to normalise relations August 13. By August 16, telephone calls began ringing between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, marking the first concrete step of a US-brokered diplomatic deal between the nations that required Israel to halt plans to annex land sought by the Palestinians.
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IPL 2024: RCB qualifies for playoffs, beats Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs
Bengaluru: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have qualified for the playoffs of IPL 2024 after defeating the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27 runs in a thrilling match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
RCB, captained by South African cricketer Faf du Plessis, emerged victorious in this crucial match to secure their spot in the playoffs. However, the lost match is tragically significant to Chennai Super Kings' key player M S Dhoni, for whom it is believed to be the last IPL season.
