Screens display the flight number of the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE at the Ben Gurion Airport, Israel on Monday. The flight would carry a US-Israeli delegation to the UAE following a normalization accord, which makes the UAE only the third Arab country to forge ties with Israel in over 70 years. Photo: AFP

A US-Israeli delegation left Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after a visit aimed at charting the relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Jewish state after their landmark deal to establish diplomatic ties.

The UAE and Israel are expected to sign the US-brokered accord, Israel's first with a Gulf nation and only its third with an Arab state, at the White House in coming weeks.

Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House advisor, led the delegation, which arrived in the Emirati capital Monday on the first-ever commercial flight from Tel Aviv.

The Israeli press celebrated the direct flight, laden with symbolism, which in another breakthrough was also allowed to cross the airspace of Saudi Arabia.

"The flight of peace" ran the front-page headline of top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily.

The US is on a diplomacy drive to push more Arab nations to strike deals with Israel. Although none have yet announced such moves, Kushner said he hoped another would emerge soon.

The Palestinians have condemned the deal as a stab in the back by a major Arab player while they still lack a state of their own. 

Israel's arch-rival Iran has been scathing in its criticism.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted Tuesday that "the UAE betrayed the world of Islam, the Arab nations, the region's countries, and Palestine."

AFP