UAE-Israel accord praised for opening Al-Aqsa mosque to all muslims

A senior US official said the opening of Islam’s third-holiest site, the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, for all Muslims as part of the UAE-Israel peace agreement, will help to reduce regional tensions.

In a briefing from Washington, Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to US President Donald Trump, said: "Israelis are very excited that they can get cheaper flights now by flying through Dubai, and I know a lot of Muslims are excited that they can now fly through Dubai to Tel Aviv to go and visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque." 

He said that King Abdullah II of Jordan will remain as the site's custodian.

"We can get Muslims to come and pray at the mosque freely and peacefully; the more people throughout the world will realise the mosque is not under attack, the mosque is open, and that hopefully will reduce the tension that exists between Israel and the Muslim world based on some historic anti-Semitic divides that have existed for far too long," Kushner observed.

"Obviously, this historic breakthrough, this is the first peace agreement in the region in 26 years, and only the third in the last 70 years with Israel. And so I do think it gives a lot of people great optimism that the Middle East doesn’t have to be stuck in conflicts of the past," the Senior Advisor noted.

He said he hopes this leads to new progress that can bring the region forward.

The peace deal will bring economic prosperity to both Israel and the UAE, the Senior Advisor noted.

"The UAE and Israel are security powerhouses technology powerhouses and economic powerhouses. People see tremendous potential for commerce between them," Kushner added.