The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have today opened diplomatic ties as part of a deal brokered by the US and as thus began telephone service between the two nations.
An hour after the announcement, UAE officials acknowledged that Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had called his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi.
Israeli Communications Minister, Yoaz Handel in a statement congratulated the United Arab Emirates on “removing the blocks.”
“Many economic opportunities will open now, and these trust-building steps are an important step toward advancing states’ interests,” Handel said.
Also, Israeli news websites that had previously been blocked by UAE authorities, like the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post and YNet, are now been accessed without using means to bypass internet filtering in the Emirates.
The phone service connection represents the first obvious sign of the deal between the Emiratis and Israelis.
