The United Arab Emirates ended a decadeslong boycott of Israel ahead of the first commercial flight between the two Middle Eastern countries.
President Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan issued a decree on Saturday, eliminating the restrictions and permitting trade and financial ties with Israel. According to the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency, the decree will allow the UAE to purchase Israeli goods throughout its seven sheikdoms.
“The decree of the new law comes within the UAE’s efforts to expand diplomatic and commercial cooperation with Israel,” WAM said. It lays out “a roadmap toward launching joint cooperation, leading to bilateral relations by stimulating economic growth and promoting technological innovation.”
The move comes just days before the two countries mark the first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE. The U.S. delegation set to travel on the Monday El Al flight includes President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, outgoing Iran envoy Brian Hook, and the State Department’s Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, a senior administration official told the Washington Examiner on Monday.
A State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Saturday that the United States welcomes the end of the UAE boycott against Israel and the steps the two countries have taken to normalize relations.
“This important breakthrough supports our combined efforts to achieve lasting peace, prosperity and security throughout the region,” the spokesperson said.
The normalization deal was inked earlier in August by Trump, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The deal was a major breakthrough in the region, where many Arab countries have historically denied Israeli existence in favor of Palestinian claims to the land. As part of the brokered normalization agreement, Israel will “suspend” plans to annex an area considered by some as necessary for a prospective Palestinian state.
Other countries in the region are thought to be moving in the direction that the UAE went in normalizing relations. Oman, Bahrain, and Sudan have all been talked about as countries with the potential to chart a course of increased cooperation or normalization with Israel.
