From Reuters:
“UAE scraps Israel boycott in
new step towards normal ties: state news agency”
The president of the United Arab
Emirates scrapped an economic boycott against Israel, allowing trade and
financial agreements between the countries in another key step towards normal
ties, the UAE’s state news agency reported on Saturday. Israel and the UAE said
on Aug. 13 they would normalise diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by U.S.
President Donald Trump that reshapes the order of Middle East politics from the
Palestinian issue to the fight against Iran. President Khalifa bin Zayed Al
Nahyan issued a decree abolishing a boycott law as part of “the UAE’s efforts
to expand diplomatic and commercial cooperation with Israel, leading to
bilateral relations by stimulating economic growth and promoting technological
innovation,” the WAM news agency said. The announcement came as Israeli flag
carrier El Al Israel Airlines Ltd prepared to operate the country’s first
direct flight between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and the UAE’s capital, Abu
Dhabi. An Israeli government delegation and top aides to Trump, including his
senior adviser Jared Kushner, are due to travel on the flight on Aug. 31, a
U.S. official said. Before the Aug. 13 deal can be officially signed, details
must be agreed on issues such as the opening embassies, trade and travel links.
In Tel Aviv, Israeli Agriculture Minister Alon Schuster said Israel was working
on potential joint projects that could help improve the oil-rich Gulf nation’s
food security, such as water desalination and crop cultivation in the desert. “With
their money and our experience, we could go a long way,” he told a local radio
station in an interview broadcast on Friday. “Our job is to ensure that this
fantastic mood is turned into reality.” Due to the presidential decree
announced on Saturday, UAE citizens and businesses will be free to do business
with Israel, including trade and financial transactions. “Following the
abolition of the Israel boycott law, individuals and companies in the UAE may
enter into agreements with bodies or individuals residing in Israel or
belonging to it by their nationality, in terms of commercial, financial
operations, or any other dealings of any nature,” WAM quoted the decree as
saying. Still, Israel and the UAE do not yet have official air links, and it
was unclear whether Monday’s El Al flight would be able to fly over Saudi
Arabia - which has no official ties with Israel - to cut down on flight time. In
May, an Etihad Airways plane flew from the UAE to Tel Aviv to deliver supplies
to the Palestinians to help fight coronavirus, marking the first known flight
by a UAE carrier to Israel.
^ It’s great to see the two
countries continue to move forward. I think it will benefit both countries and
their citizens. ^
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