UAE, Israel agree to visa-free travel, solidifying ties
Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to visa-free travel Monday, an unprecedented arrangement between Israel and an Arab state, signed as the first-ever official Emirati delegation landed in Tel Aviv.
The visit, hailed as a "glorious day for peace" by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, came after Israel and the UAE agreed to normalize ties in a deal inked at the White House last month.
With their economies hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE and Israel are hoping for rapid dividends from the normalization deal – which broke years of Arab consensus that there should be no relations with the Jewish state until it makes peace with the Palestinians.
The UAE became the third Arab state to establish ties with Israel, followed shortly by Bahrain.
While Israel has peace deals with neighboring Egypt and Jordan, it requires citizens of both countries to obtain visas before entry.
Shortly after greeting the UAE delegation at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, a mask-wearing Netanyahu vowed that visa-free travel will "offer a huge boost for business (and) tourism."
(c) Daily Sabah
News.Az
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