“I am happy to be here and present this Israeli flag to the people here and the Israeli public,” the astronaut said. 

An Emirati astronaut took an Israeli flag to the International Space Station during his first mission two years ago, Ynet reported Thursday evening.

Most interesting is that the astronaut, Hazza Al Mansouri, took the flag with him months before the UAE normalized ties with the Jewish state.

He presented the flag two years later at the Israeli pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020.

“I am happy to be here and present this Israeli flag to the people here and the Israeli public,” the astronaut said.

Al Manouri, a member of the main crew to the International Space Station (ISS), was the youngest F-16 pilot in the UAE Air Force when he spent eight days in space during his 2019 mission. The Israeli flag was among the flags of all the countries that participated in the Expo that year, Ynet reported.

“The flag was delivered to us with a dedication. Al Mansouri came wearing his astronaut uniform and seemed excited. His visit shows how important he finds the UAE-Israeli relations,” said Josh Bendit, head of the Israel pavilion, according to Ynet.

Al Mansouri hopes to visit Israel next month, depending on whether or not there will be travel restrictions due to the pandemic.

He is scheduled to be the guest of honor of the Israeli Space Agency at an international conference, the report said.