BREAKING: Saudi Arabia to Allow all Israeli Flights to Fly Over its Airspace!

This concession is part of a larger deal, also involving Egypt

By Nosson Shulman: Licensed Tour Guide of VIP Israel Tours & Authentic Virtual Tours (click here to check out his free trailer videos)

In a move that will positively affect Israel’s tourism, Saudi Arabia will reportedly allow incoming and outgoing flights from Israel to cross over Saudi Airspace. As of now, only Israel flights going to (or coming from) the UAE or Bahrain are permitted to use this space. Air India also has permission to fly to the Jewish State over Saudi Arabia (although until now, EL Al did not). Being able to fly over Saudi Arabia will cut down on a significant amount of travel time to certain locations, while reducing ticket prices.

In exchange, Israel will greenlight the transfer of sovereignty of the Sanafir and Tiran Islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. The two islands control movement in and out of the narrow Straights of Tiran, the only sea passage to Israel’s important port of Eilat in the Sea of Aqaba (a large gulf at the Northern tip of the Red Sea). Originally controlled by Saudi Arabia, in 1949 they handed over sovereignty to Egypt because they lacked a strong navy to control it. In May 1967, Egypt built military bases on these islands and used them to block all Israeli ships from entering the Gulf of Aqaba (an official act of war according to international law). This led to the 6-day war, and with it, Israel’s incredible defeat of the Egyptian army, which included Israel taking over these very strategic islands.

In the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, the Jewish State agreed to return the islands (this deal was completed in 1982) providing that a multi-national force (led by the US) would remain in place to ensure freedom of navigation for Israeli ships. This new deal (which would have the multi-national force leave the Islands) needs to be approved by Israel according to the terms of the peace treaty. If reports are correct, Israeli planes will soon be flying over Saudi Arabia, which is a step closer to full normalization.

Nosson Shulman is a journalist and Licensed Tour Guide in Israel specializing in Biblical tours. To allow tourists to experience Israel during the Corona era, he created the new hit Israel tour video series which brings Israel to the home of viewers by simulating actual tours. To check out his free sneak preview tour videos, click here. To view sample tour itineraries or to inquire about private tour opportunities with a personalized itinerary on your next trip to Israel, click here.