Kushner highlights UAE ties after historic Israel flight

White House special adviser Jared Kushner thanked the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for helping to complete a "truly historic flight" from Israel to the UAE. A Star of David-adorned El Al plane flew from Israel to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries.

The Israeli flag carrier's flight marked the implementation of the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two nations and solidifies the long-clandestine ties between them that have evolved over years of shared enmity toward Iran. With the U.S. as matchmaker, Israel and the Emirates agreed earlier this month to work toward normalization, making it the third Arab nation to have full relations with Israel, after Egypt and Jordan.