Saudi Arabia’s leadership has sent a huge signal of rapprochement to Israel. The country’s aviation authority announced Friday evening that Saudi airspace will be “open to all airlines that meet the authority’s requirements for an overflight” in the future.
US President Joe Biden, who is currently on a state visit to Israel and planned to travel to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Friday, praised the move as a “historic decision”. Israel and the kingdom have no diplomatic relations and the leaders in Riyadh do not even recognize the country as a state. This is probably one of the reasons why the official statement from the Saudi side does not explicitly refer to Israel.
However, the Gulf monarchy has already authorized the use of its airspace for flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The Gulf states established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, brokered by the United States. Previously, there was an almost complete ban on overflights for Israeli aircraft. Now the kingdom seems poised for a further opening.
Washington: “Towards a stable and secure Middle East”
In response, the White House stressed: “President Biden welcomes and commends the Saudi leadership’s historic decision to arbitrarily open Saudi airspace to all civil airlines, a decision that also includes flights to and from Israel.” the path to a “more integrated, stable and secure Middle East”, which is essential “for the security and well-being of Israel”.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
