Israel lists first commercial passenger flight to United Arab Emirates

An El Al flight to Abu Dhabi has been listed (AP/Ariel Schalit, File)

Israel has listed an El Al flight taking off on 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 normalise relations.

The confirmation of the flight comes as the latest concrete sign of a deal that saw Israel agree to halt plans to annex land sought by the Palestinians. It also brought into the open a long-standing relationship between Israel and the UAE that both countries hope will benefit their economies and strengthen their ties to the US amid tensions with Iran.