Saudi Arabia agreed to open its airspace, not just to flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, but to all eastward travel, US President Donald Trump’s adviser says Jared Kushner. Kushner briefed the press on Wednesday ahead of the September 15 signing ceremony between Israel and the UAE. Addressing the decision of Saudi Arabia to open its airspace, Kushner said: “That will save people a lot of time and knock down a barrier that’s been up for 72 years.”

 “Countries are starting to let go of old conflicts and move in the direction of peace,” he said, adding that following Saudi Arabia, Bahrain took the same step.

“Every day, we’re seeing new announcements, which is showing the progress that this peace is bringing to the Middle East,” Kushner said.

Speaking about the ceremony between Israel and the UAE, Kushner said that the administration plans to invite representatives from both parties to attend the event. “This is something that should be bipartisan,” he said. “We will invite Democrats and Republicans to be here. This has been praised by people on both sides of the aisle – and hopefully, this is one issue that can stay out of politics.”

The senior adviser also addressed the “Peace for Prosperity” plan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “People want to see a resolution that’s fair and proper, but they’re not going to hold back their own progress now in order to allow this conflict to continue to be stuck in the mud,” he said.