First Israeli Commercial Flight Through Sudan’s Airspace

First Israeli Commercial Flight Through Sudan’s Airspace
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First Israeli Commercial Flight Through Sudan’s Airspace

First Israeli Commercial Flight Through Sudan’s Airspace

El Al Israel Airlines announced on Friday operating its first commercial flight through the Sudanese airspace.

The flight will depart on Sunday from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport to Uganda’s Entebbe Airport, for the first time since the Israeli-Sudanese normalization agreement.

The plane will depart empty but will return the same day with 153 Ugandan citizens on board to study means of modern agriculture in Israel, as part of a special project in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A police spokesman said the trip, which usually takes five hours, will only take 30 minutes thanks to passing through Sudanese airspace.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said the “Abraham Accords” represent a conceptual shift in the Arab region.

During his meeting with EU ambassadors in Israel, Gantz urged Palestinians to join these accords and reach an agreement on the presence of “Israeli and Palestinian entities” but without Israel’s withdrawal from June 1967 borders.

These accords represent actual change in the chance to achieve peace, as well as in economic and security opportunities.

He called on Palestinians no to waste this chance to avoid lagging behind.

The fact that the PA has been seeking to obtain loans from Europe instead of receiving its tax funds affects all Palestinians, he stressed.

It is noteworthy that the US-brokered Abraham Accords is the normalization agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates on Sep. 15, 2020.



Turkey, Israel Have Begun Talks to Avoid Clashes in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends an interview with Reuters, in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends an interview with Reuters, in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Turkey, Israel Have Begun Talks to Avoid Clashes in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends an interview with Reuters, in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends an interview with Reuters, in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Turkish and Israeli officials began talks on Wednesday aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria, where militaries of the two regional powers are active, Turkish ministry sources said on Thursday. 

The sources said the technical talks, in Azerbaijan, marked the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings over military operations in the region. 

"Efforts will continue to establish this mechanism," one of the sources said, without providing further details on the scope or timeline of the talks. 

The initiative comes a week after Israel stepped up airstrikes on Syria, which it described as a warning to the newly formed government in Damascus. It has also accused Türkiye of attempting to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate. 

Reuters reported last week that Turkish military teams had inspected at least three air bases in Syria where they could deploy forces as part of a planned joint defense pact with Damascus - before Israel hit the sites with airstrikes. 

Türkiye and Israel - which have traded diplomatic barbs since Israel's attacks began on Gaza in 2023 - each said last week they did not seek confrontation in Syria, which both border. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed on Wednesday that technical talks were taking place, emphasizing that such mechanisms were necessary to prevent misunderstandings between the two regional powers' forces. 

The talks were similar to deconfliction mechanisms Türkiye has with the US and Russia, he said on broadcaster CNN Turk.