Dubai, Tel Aviv Resume Flights After Agreeing on Security Arrangements

Emirates airliners are seen on the tarmac in a general view of Dubai International Airport (file photo: Reuters)
Emirates airliners are seen on the tarmac in a general view of Dubai International Airport (file photo: Reuters)
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Dubai, Tel Aviv Resume Flights After Agreeing on Security Arrangements

Emirates airliners are seen on the tarmac in a general view of Dubai International Airport (file photo: Reuters)
Emirates airliners are seen on the tarmac in a general view of Dubai International Airport (file photo: Reuters)

The Israeli security agency, the Shin Bet, announced an agreement between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv on the security arrangement to allow Israeli airlines to resume a full schedule of flights to Dubai.

Non-stop flights will resume on Sunday, with about 12 daily trips between Tel Aviv and Dubai.

Last week, the head of Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, met with his Emirati counterparts and reached preliminary understandings on the matter.

The head of the Shin Bet security division held meetings in Dubai, during which the agreement on shared working principles and security arrangements was completed.

A dispute over airport security erupted about a year ago when the two Israeli airlines, El Al and IsrAir, requested a particular terminal at Dubai Airport for travelers to Tel Aviv, run by Israeli security men.

Dubai rejected the request, saying it is a violation of Emirati sovereignty and harms the work of the airport. It also indicated that it is unwilling to dedicate a terminal for the Israelis because of the millions of passengers at its airport.

Authorities also noted that dozens of airlines fly from Dubai to Tel Aviv without this arrangement, indicating the Israeli request is not logical.

In response, Israeli companies reduced their number of flights to Dubai, and about 50,000 Israeli citizens who bought tickets could not travel.

However, Emirati, Turkish, and European planes continued to fly from Dubai to Israel, incurring Israeli airlines significant losses.

Several advisers of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Ministry and Shin Bet officials contacted their counterparts in Dubai to resolve the crisis in recent weeks.

Israel’s Transport Minister Merav Michaeli held talks with international bodies to solve the crisis.

Michaeli claimed a misunderstanding in the communications between the two sides due to the many channels that caused the issue and explained to Bennett that the Emiratis wanted to work with one senior Israeli official authorized to address the matter.

Bennett assigned the head of the Shin Bet and his assistants to take charge, and talks with the Emiratis have been intensively conducted since last February.

Although the two parties did not disclose the details of the agreement and the nature of the security arrangements, they confirmed that the flights would resume Sunday.



UAE Interior Ministry: Extensive Search Underway for Missing Moldovan Man

UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
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UAE Interior Ministry: Extensive Search Underway for Missing Moldovan Man

UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo

The UAE Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that it "received a report from the family of a Moldovan national named Zvi Kogan, stating that he had been missing and out of contact since last Thursday”.
The ministry confirmed that "relevant authorities began extensive search and investigation operations immediately upon receiving the report”, the UAE’s official news agency WAM reported Sunday.
The ministry also urged the public to obtain accurate information from official sources and not get misled by “malicious” rumors.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "closely following the case of the missing Moldovan citizen Zvi Kogan, maintaining communication with his family, and providing all necessary support”, it added..
Majed Al Mansouri, Director of the Foreign Nationals Affairs Department at the ministry, affirmed that the Ministry is closely monitoring the case and is in close contact with his family to provide them with all means of necessary support.
He also highlighted that the Ministry is in continuous contact with the Embassy of Moldova in Abu Dhabi in this regard.