Ivanka Trump 'receives permission to fly on Sabbath' for father's trip abroad

Jewish law generally does not permit travelling on the Sabbath except in life-threatening situations

Ivanka Trump, daughter and assistant to President Donald Trump, and her husband White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (AP)

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner reportedly got the green light from a rabbi to fly on Air Force One with Donald Trump, as the president kicked off his first trip abroad as president.

Both practicing Orthodox Jews, Mr Trump's daughter and son-in-law typically observe the weekly Shabbat holiday by removing themselves from work activities from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.

Jewish law does not permit travelling on the Sabbath except in life-threatening situations, or if there is a safety concern. It was not clear on what grounds the rabbi made the exception for Ms Trump and Mr Kushner to accompany the president on his trip, Politico reported.

On Inauguration Day, they also received a rabbinical approval to travel by car.

Mr Trump is first travelling to Saudi Arabia, a part of the trip that Mr Kushner heavily helped organise. The president will then make stops in Israel, Vatican City, Italy and Belgium. He returns to Washington next Saturday.

Since January, both Mr Kushner and Ms Trump have been highly visible members of the Trump administration. Mr Trump named his son-in-law as a senior White House adviser, and Ms Trump has been taking on a larger role in her father’s presidency.

This past week at the White House, she led a roundtable on human trafficking with members of Congress while Mr Trump was in Connecticut to give an address to cadets graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy.