Israel is trying to pull off one of the boldest aviation moves since the Abraham Accords, offering Emirates the right to fly directly from Tel Aviv to New York and Bangkok, without requiring the flights to continue to or from Dubai. The proposal, first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, is being pushed by the Transportation Ministry as Israel’s long-haul market remains squeezed by war-driven cancellations, limited seats and painfully high fares.

The key is a rare “seventh freedom” arrangement. It would allow a foreign airline to operate between two countries that are not its home country, without touching its own territory. Emirates already uses fifth-freedom rights on routes like New York-Milan-Dubai and Newark-Athens-Dubai, but this would go further, Tel Aviv-New York as a standalone Emirates route. That makes the proposal commercially explosive and politically sensitive.

American Airlines has extended its New York-Tel Aviv suspension until January 2027, while United and Delta are not expected back before September, leaving El Al and Arkia as the only direct Israel-U.S. options. El Al is currently operating about six daily New York flights, while Arkia flies the route six days a week. For travelers, that means fewer choices and higher prices on one of the most important routes in the Jewish world.

Emirates itself has not flown to Israel since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, but the UAE’s broader aviation connection to Israel never disappeared. Flydubai and Etihad continued operating through much of the war, even as many U.S. and European carriers repeatedly pulled back. That has made Emirati airlines a lifeline for Israelis traveling to Asia, Australia, Africa and beyond, and a living reminder that the Abraham Accords are not just diplomatic paper. The 2020 treaty specifically recognized regular direct flights between Israel and the UAE as essential to deepening relations.

There are major obstacles. The move would require U.S. regulatory approval, and Channel 12 reported it would also require changes in Israeli aviation rules. Israeli carriers, including El Al, Arkia and Israir, are expected to fight it, arguing that allowing a state-backed Gulf giant onto Israel’s most lucrative routes would tilt the field against local airlines that kept flying when others left.

Still, Israel’s calculation is clear, competition is leverage. The collapsed Wizz Air hub plan left the government searching for another way to break open the market, and the Emirates offer appears designed to do exactly that. Flydubai is being offered rights to open a subsidized base in Eilat for flights to Europe, another sign that Israel is looking beyond temporary flight resumptions and trying to build a more durable aviation network.

If Emirates agrees and regulators allow it, the impact could be immediate, more seats, more competition, and a serious challenge to the postwar flight bottleneck that has punished Israeli travelers for nearly three years. It would also mark a new stage in Israel-UAE normalization, not just flights to Dubai, but an Emirati airline helping reconnect Israel to the wider world.