Israel Lists First Commercial Passenger Flight to UAE on Monday

Cars seen outside Abu Dhabi International Airport
Cars seen outside Abu Dhabi International Airport
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Israel Lists First Commercial Passenger Flight to UAE on Monday

Cars seen outside Abu Dhabi International Airport
Cars seen outside Abu Dhabi International Airport

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 normalize relations.

The website of the Israel Airports Authority listed the flight on Friday. It said the flight would be numbered LY971, a nod to the UAE’s international calling code number. A return flight to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Tuesday will be numbered LY972, Israel’s international calling code.

The direct flight between Ben Gurion Airport and the UAE's political capital of Abu Dhabi is due to carry an Israeli delegation and top aides to US President Donald Trump.

Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner will be among the US officials on the El Al flight departing on Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), Reuters quoted a US official as saying.

There are no official air links between Israel and the UAE.

In May, an Etihad Airways plane flew from the UAE to Tel Aviv to deliver supplies to use for the novel coronavirus epidemic, marking the first known flight by a UAE carrier to Israel.

The Israel-UAE deal awaits negotiations on details such as opening embassies, trade and travel links before it is officially signed.



Saudi Interior Minister Discusses with Moroccan Officials Boosting Bilateral Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Marrakesh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Marrakesh on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Interior Minister Discusses with Moroccan Officials Boosting Bilateral Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Marrakesh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Marrakesh on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz held talks in Marrakesh on Tuesday with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

They reviewed the ongoing security cooperation between their countries and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

They met on the sidelines of the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety

Prince Abdulaziz also held talks with his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit.

They discussed ways to boost bilateral security cooperation between their ministries, as well as several issues of common interest.

Prince Abdulaziz attended the road safety conference, saying Saudi Arabia places great importance on road safety as both a public health issue and a critical security and economic necessity.

Each year, more than 1.3 million people worldwide lose their lives in road accidents, and millions more suffer serious injuries that disrupt their ability to contribute to their personal and national development, he noted.

He stressed the need to establish a mechanism for accurately tracking the number of those injured in road accidents to help reduce such incidents in the future.

Prince Abdulaziz pointed out that the social, economic, and health costs of injuries resulting from traffic accidents are invaluable, reaffirming the Kingdom's commitment to addressing these challenges with determination and innovation within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 and in alignment with sustainable and safe environments.

This commitment aligns with global road safety goals and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.

Moreover, Prince Abdulaziz highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to bolster road safety by implementing several advanced measures under the direct guidance of the wise leadership.

Among these measures was the establishment of a ministerial-level committee tasked with improving traffic affairs, which has led to a drop of more than 50% in traffic accident fatalities over the past seven years.

Technology will play a pivotal role in road safety, remarked the minister, adding that Saudi Arabia will leverage AI-powered traffic management systems and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to reduce road fatalities and injuries, improve urban mobility, and ensure safer roads across the Kingdom.