Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have established telephone service as part of opening diplomatic ties between the two countries.
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Reporters with The Associated Press from Jerusalem and Dubai were able to call one another Sunday afternoon, the AP reported, using both landlines and cell phones registered to Israel’s +972 country code.
Soon after, UAE officials said Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had placed a call to his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi.
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Calls placed to numbers with the national code would previously play a recorded message saying the calls could not be connected, the AP noted, adding that some workarounds were available, such as using Palestinian phone numbers with the +970 code.
“Many economic opportunities will open now, and these trust-building steps are an important step toward advancing states’ interests,” Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel said in a statement, adding that he “congratulat[ed] the United Arab Emirates on removing the blocks.”
UAE authorities have also unblocked several Israeli news outlets, including the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel, that previously required workarounds.
UAE and Israeli officials announced a U.S.-brokered deal to establish full diplomatic relations last Thursday. The agreement will make the UAE the third Arab country to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel, following Jordan and Egypt. In a joint statement, the countries said additional details pertaining to areas like embassies and tourism are likely forthcoming.
In addition, UAE state media said an Emirati and Israeli firm have signed a deal for research into the coronavirus pandemic, according to the AP.
Shifting political realities in the UAE have led it to prioritize a united front against Iran over solidarity with the Palestinians, the news service noted. This has sparked backlash in other nations, including Pakistan, where Islamist groups gathered Sunday to protest the deal. Iran, meanwhile, called the decision a “disaster.”
“If an incident happens in the Persian Gulf and violates the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran, even a tiny bit, and we see it from the UAE, we will not tolerate it,” said Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces.