The move will deepen ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel after two countries agreed to normalise relations. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced Monday it would start operating daily nonstop flights to Tel Aviv early next year, a move that deepens ties between the UAE and Israel after the two countries agreed to normalise relations.
Direct flights on Etihad between the emirates’ capital of Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv will begin March 28, giving “Emiratis and UAE residents the opportunity to discover Israel’s historical sites, beaches, restaurants and nightlife,” the state-owned carrier said in a statement. Tickets are already available on Etihad’s website. The announcement came after Dubai’s budget carrier, flydubai, said it would begin offering direct flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv later this month.
The UAE and Israel signed a United States-brokered accord establishing formal diplomatic ties on the White House lawn in September. The deal marked a diplomatic achievement for US President Donald Trump before his re-election campaign and reflects a changing Middle East in which shared enmity of Iran has largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. Soon after the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan agreed to formalise ties with Israel in similar agreements. Bahrain’s foreign minister will lead the country’s first official trip to Israel on Wednesday, state-run Bahrain News Agency reported.
The high-level diplomatic visit will seek “to affirm Bahrain’s firm and permanent stance toward supporting the Mideast peace process” and “to shed light on shared economic opportunities,” the agency said. The US State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a Middle East tour, would be in Israel during the coming days, as well.
Source: aljazeera.com
Monday, April 20, 2026
