Israeli and American officials travelled to Abu Dhabi on Monday on board the first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE.
It was a further step in establishing relations between the UAE and Israel since they sealed a peace accord on August 13.
El Al Flight 971, which was listed on the Israeli airline's website as a typical commercial flight, took off from Tel Aviv with the word "peace" in Arabic, Hebrew and English above the cockpit window.
The plane landed at 3.40pm at Abu Dhabi International Airport and taxied to a red-carpet welcome.
The El Al flight landed at the VIP terminal where US flags flew alongside the Star of David.
Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key architect of Washington's Middle East policy, hailed the historic flight.
Mr Kushner praised Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, for his leadership and courage.
Sheikh Mohamed was "truly leading the new Middle East", Mr Kushner said.
"The very few who have been critical of this peace agreement are the ones with a long track record of failure," he said.
The Israeli delegation, which included economists, scientists and planners, underpins the importance Israel places on co-operation with the UAE, one of the few Arab countries with a GDP larger than Israel's.
Israeli officials will meet those from the UAE “in preparation for the signing of co-operation agreements in the civil and economic fields”, Israel said.
Mr Kushner and US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien accompanied the Israeli delegation, led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.
The flight was numbered after the UAE's international dialling code, and the return flight, set to leave Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning, is El Al 972, which is Israel's code.
"I've been waiting for this moment since I joined the foreign ministry 20 years ago. The sky is the limit," Lior Haiat, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, told The National.
Mr Haiat said the accord would not only affect the governments but "each and every citizen in Israel and the Emirates". A ceremony to inaugurate the accord could take place in Washington in a matter of weeks, he said.
Before the flight, Israeli health authorities added the UAE to a list of countries from which Israelis can return without mandatory 14-day coronavirus quarantine.
The arrival of the delegation follows the announcement of the Abraham Accord, a US-mediated deal under which Israel agreed to halt annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories in exchange for normalisation of ties with the UAE.
Israel and the UAE have moved quickly to cement their ties over the past two weeks.
Almost immediately, they opened direct phone lines and Cabinet ministers held friendly phone conversations.
On Saturday, the UAE ended its formal commercial boycott of Israel.
UAE Minister of State for Food Security, Mariam Al Mheiri, and Israel's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alon Schuster, held an online meeting last Friday, Wam reported.
The two spoke about the opportunities for the UAE and Israel as a result of the peace accord.
Ms Al Mheiri and Mr Schuster agreed to collaborate in food and water security, which are of great concern for the UAE and Israel.
They also agreed to discuss co-operation in research and development, aquaculture and agriculture technology.
Their ministries said they would open a direct channel and work together on a programme of co-operation for the future.
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with ambitious plans to promote Arab-Israeli rapprochement.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement with the UAE would bring unbridled trade and opportunities.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
