In an unprecedented arrangement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, an agreement on mutual tourist visa exemption was signed today by the first official delegation of the Arab League to arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the visit of the official Arab League delegation as “a glorious day of peace,” after Israel and the Arab League signed an agreement last month at the White House to normalize relations.
As both economies are hit hard by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19, Wuhan pneumonia) epidemic, the two countries expect to benefit quickly from a normalization agreement that breaks with years of Arab consensus that Israel should not establish relations with the Jewish state until a peace agreement with the Palestinians is reached.
The United Arab Emirates became the third Arab state to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, followed by Bahrain.
Although Israel has signed peace agreements with its neighbors Egypt and Jordan, it requires citizens of those countries to obtain visas before entering the country.
Shortly after greeting an Arab League delegation at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, a masked Nitanyahu vowed that visa-free travel would “greatly boost business and tourism.
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