El Al's Historic Flight Over Saudi Arabia
"In a historic milestone, an Israeli passenger plane flew through Saudi Arabian airspace Monday on the first direct non-cargo flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates," The Times of Israel reports yesterday. "El Al Flight 971, carrying high-level Israeli and US delegations, flew southeast down almost the entire length of Saudi Arabia to reach its destination in Abu Dhabi. It was the first time an Israeli plane was given permission by the kingdom to use its airspace."
Shunning and demonizing Israel for so long gained the Arab world little.
It is wonderfully encouraging to see prominent Arab thinkers - and the first
Arab government in more than a quarter-century - rejecting the old rancor, and
enumerating the gains peace can make possible. May those gains proliferate and
become evident to all, and may Abu Dhabi's leadership in making peace with
Jerusalem be emulated across the Middle East.