Saudi Arabia opens airspace to Israel

RIYADH • Saudi Arabia will open up its airspace to all airlines flying in and out of Israel, a change that is part of President Joe Biden's efforts to improve relations in the Middle East.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have no formal diplomatic ties and most airlines flying to or from Tel Aviv previously had to go around the kingdom. The move is widely seen as a step towards broader normalisation and marks a small win for Mr Biden, who is visiting the Middle East this week in an effort to elicit the help of Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies in tempering oil prices.

"While this opening has long been discussed, now, thanks to months of steady diplomacy between my administration and Saudi Arabia, it is finally a reality," Mr Biden said in a statement.

"Saudi Arabia's decision can help build momentum towards Israel's further integration into the region."

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco launched direct flights to Israel for the first time after establishing diplomatic ties with it in late 2020 through the Abraham Accords.

As part of the accords, Dubai's Emirates Airline, Bahrain's Gulf Air and Israeli airlines including flag carrier El Al were permitted to use Saudi airspace for Dubai-Tel Aviv and Manama-Tel Aviv routes, but Israel was restricted from using it for other commercial flights.

With the exception of Air India, other foreign airlines were not authorised to fly over Saudi Arabia when operating to Tel Aviv, though they could for other routes.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid thanked the Saudi leadership for the decision, which he said followed "a long road of intense and covert diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and the United States".

Meanwhile, Mr Biden promised an additional US$100 million (S$140 million) to support Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem yesterday, but offered no new proposals to revive the stalled political dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

Mr Biden said Palestinians require a political path towards peace with Israel, even if a two-state solution to the conflict appears far off, as he met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Biden, making his first visit to the Palestinian territories as president, also reaffirmed a "full" US effort towards accountability over the killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.

Mr Biden, who has repeatedly emphasised his support for Palestinian statehood since landing in the region on Wednesday, acknowledged "the goal of the two states seems so far away", with the peace process moribund since 2014. "There must be a political horizon that the Palestinian people can actually see or at least feel. We cannot allow the hopelessness to steal away the future," Mr Biden said during his visit to Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Mr Abbas articulated Palestinian frustrations over Israel's five-decade occupation. The veteran leader said Palestinians "look forward" to US efforts to "stop settlements and settler violence" and an end to the "expulsion of Palestinians from their land".

As well as the money for East Jerusalem hospitals, Mr Biden announced measures to upgrade telecoms networks in the West Bank and Gaza to high speed 4G standards by the end of next year and other measures to ease travel between the West Bank and neighbouring Jordan.

In addition, there will be a separate US$201 million funding package provided through the United Nations relief agency UNRWA to help Palestinian refugees.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE