Etihad Airlines jet at Ben Gurion Airport. Image by Handout

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Palestinian Authority rejected a humanitarian shipment of medical supplies sent by the United Arab Emirates because it coordinated the shipment with Israel.

The Etihad Airways flight that landed Tuesday night in Israel carrying 14 tons of medical aid to deal with the coronavirus was reported to be the first publicly acknowledged direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Israel. Israel and the UAE do not have diplomatic relations and there no air travel between the two countries.

“The UAE authorities did not coordinate with the State of Palestine before sending the aid,” the Palestinian Maan news agency reported, citing unnamed government sources. “Palestinians refuse to be a bridge [for Arab countries] seeking to have normalized ties with Israel.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

On Tuesday evening, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to all agreements with Israel, including security cooperation, in reaction to the new Israeli government’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank under the Trump peace plan.

The Palestinian Authority has had a total of 577 confirmed coronavirus cases and four deaths, according to the official Palestinian news service Wafa.

The post Palestinians reject COVID-19 aid from UAE because it was coordinated through Israel appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount