First Israeli Tourists Land in Dubai as UAE Announces Relaxing of Islamic Laws

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel’s first tourists to the United Arab Emirates touched down in Dubai on Sunday, marking the latest sign of normalization between the two nations.

FlyDubai flight No. FZ8194 took off from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and landed at the Dubai International Airport just before 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The jet flew across Saudi Arabia’s airspace, carrying Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis on board. The flight was organized by the Israeli company called Gaya Tours.

"I filled up a flight of 170 people within 24 hours. Okay. We just advertised on social media and within 24 hours we received hundreds, hundreds of requests,” Avi Fine, CEO of Gaya Tours, told The Associated Press.

Israeli businessman Sharon Daniel said the historic peace deal between Israel and the UAE has shifted his perspective on Arabs.

"This has changed my view on the Arabs actually because in my country unfortunately since I was born, always been like, everybody fighting each other, and suddenly I'm coming to Dubai, I'm talking to the government in Abu Dhabi for a few weeks already, I'm having zoom meetings with them, they're talking to me very nicely, I'm not used to it. I mean there is human beings on both sides, everybody leave the political things aside, we are brothers,” said Daniel.

Hussein Suleiman, head of the Arab businessmen delegation also celebrated the flight.

"There is no doubt that the normalization between Israel and the UAE will bring good things and benefit to the Arabs inside Israel, there is no doubt about that. We are supportive of this deal and of the normalization and we are here today to normalize the normalization in reality,” said Suleiman.

The UAE and Israel have agreed to launch regular commercial flights between their two countries.

The flight came just after the UAE announced on Saturday that it is undergoing a major overhaul of Sharia law in the country. The country will now allow unmarried couples to cohabitate, criminalize honor killings, and has loosened its restrictions on alcohol.

The form of traditional Islamic rules is meant to boost tourism and further westernize the country.

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