Opening of Islam's third-holiest site, Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, for all Muslims as part of the United Arab Emirates-Israel peace accord will help reduce tension between Israel and the Muslim world, a senior US official said on Monday. "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," Jared Kushner, the senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, told a telephonic press briefing from Washington. Israel has said that the King of Jordan will remain as the custodian of the mosque that is now open to all Muslims, he explained. "We can get Muslims to come and pray at the mosque freely and peacefully; the more people throughout the world will realize 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 adviser noted. Hopefully, this leads to a whole new set of progress that can bring the region forward, he added. President Donald Trump's Vision for Peace laid out in January this year aimed at a two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict, Kushner said. "He (president) got Israel to agree to negotiate on the basis of the president's vision, agree to the map, and agree to move forward on a Palestinian state. This was a major breakthrough," he observed. "Now Israel has made a very generous offer for a state and for land swaps, and the ball is really in the court of the Palestinians now. And obviously, we welcome them any time to come to the table," Kushner said. The peace deal will bring economic prosperity to both Israel and the UAE, the senior adviser noted. "The UAE and Israel are security powerhouses technology powerhouses and economic powerhouses. People see tremendous potential for commerce between them," Kushner observed. He made it clear that the US is not pressurizing any other countries in the region to make diplomatic ties with Israel. Each country is supposed to make independent decisions about it, Kushner said. Last week, the United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed to the full normalization of relations in a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump. — WAM
