Flight number LY971 will take off tomorrow for Abu Dhabi for peace talks, with delegations led by Kushner and the head of the National Security Council, Ben Shabbat. • Tribute to Israelis: The hosts provided kosher food

• The plane that left for the UAE // Photo: Ami Sander, Wikipedia

Talking Peace: In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the historic peace talks between Israel and the United Arab Emirates will begin tomorrow.

An El Al flight numbered LY971, with Israeli and US delegations on board, will for the first time receive permission to enter Saudi Arabia's airspace.

The choice of EL AL flight number is not accidental. 971 This is an international dialing code of the UAE. Also, the flight number from Abu Dhabi to Ben Gurion Airport will be LY972 - similar to Israel's international dialing prefix.

Throughout the day in Abu Dhabi, a series of meetings are planned between senior representatives of the two countries, sponsored by senior Trump administration officials who will accompany the talks throughout.

Two tour tours are also expected, featuring President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. In addition to him, about 15 people will participate in the American delegation, including the US National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, and the special envoy for international negotiations, Avi Berkowitz.

The Israeli delegation for the talks will appoint about 50 people and will be headed by the head of the National Security Council, Meir Ben Shabbat. He will be joined, among others, by the current director general of the Prime Minister's Office, Ronen Peretz, the director general of the Ministry of Defense. To the Ministry of Health, Hezi Levy, the Director General of the Ministry of Science, Shai Lee Spiegelman, and the chief economist at the Ministry of Finance, Shira Greenberg. The talks will also deal with banking, aviation, health and space - an area in which the two countries are breaking ground.

Representatives of the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates also continued to plan the details of the meetings over the weekend. Apparently, there will be one ceremonial meeting, in which all members of the delegations will participate. An Israeli representative will accompany the call.The Israeli delegation will stay in the Emirates for less than a day and is expected to take off back to Israel on Tuesday afternoon on an El Al plane.

The US delegation led by Jared Kushner will continue to meet in other Gulf states - Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, "Israel Today" has learned that the Emirate Royal House has requested in advance that a kosher menu be made available to Jewish diners who keep kosher food. Senior officials in Abu Dhabi appealed to representatives of the Jewish community in the country to organize kosher food for the participants. Local Jewish catering has recruited the well-known International Training Organization (OU). Two kosher supervisors from the organization will arrive in Abu Dhabi before the talks begin in order to prepare the kitchen at the hotel where the meetings will take place. 

Even before the departure to Abu Dhabi, a senior American delegation led by the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will arrive in Jerusalem today for meetings and ceremonies with the participation of senior state officials. The members of the delegation will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. According to the original plan, a ceremony will be held with the participation of the official residence of the US Ambassador in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, UAE President Khalifa bin Zayd issued an official presidential decree on Saturday, according to which the economic boycott of Israel is lifted and trade agreements and economic agreements with Israeli bodies and individuals can be signed.

According to the official order of the President of the United Arab Emirates, it is now possible to allow trade exchanges between the countries and the entry of Israeli goods into the Emirates. However, it should be emphasized that in recent years, despite the boycott, Israel and the United Arab Emirates have maintained secret trade relations.

"Excited by the visit"

The announcement of the lifting of the economic boycott of Israel was published in all the official media of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi imposed an economic boycott on Israel 48 years ago, with the establishment of the Federation of Arab Oil Principalities in the Persian Gulf and in accordance with pan-Arab policy, following the establishment of the State of Israel, which denies any sign of normalization with the Jewish state.

"I welcome the decision of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayd," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded. "This is an important step in promoting prosperity and peace in the region."

A senior Foreign Ministry official in Abu Dhabi told Israel Today that "these are historic days that we all have the right to take part in. We are excited and looking forward to the arrival of the Israeli delegation and inshallah that we too will be able to visit Israel."

Daniel Sirioti, Eldad Beck and Shimon Yaish participated in the preparation of the article