Israel launches 1st direct flight to Morocco

The first direct commercial flight from Israel to Morocco took off from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport this morning  with outgoing US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner on board.

The El Al flight was decorated with Moroccan and Israeli flags and the word “peace” in Hebrew, Arabic and English, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.

Israeli Chief of Staff for National Security Meir Ben Shabbat was also aboard the flight.

According to local media, the Israeli delegation will sign a series of bilateral agreements during the visit.

READ: Morocco expects 200,000 Israel tourists next year

Yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Ben Shabbat would meet with Moroccan King Mohammed VI during the visit.

Morocco became the fourth Arab country to normalise relations with Israel since August after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. Rabat accepted the deal after Trump agreed to recognise Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, where there has been a decades-old territorial dispute with Morocco pitted against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a breakaway movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the territory.

The normalisation deals have drawn widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.