Israel and UAE launch direct telephone links to historic agreement

Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have inaugurated direct telephone services between their countries following their agreement last week to normalize relations.

The countries’ foreign ministers called on each other and “exchanged greetings in response to the historic peace treaty,” a statement said.

The US-brokered deal was announced Thursday by President Donald Trump.

It is only the third Israeli-Arab peace treaty in the Middle East.

The international community has welcomed the move, although Palestinians, Iran and Turkey have been affected.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel has agreed to suspend its controversial plans for parts of the occupied West Bank.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi – who held talks with his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan – tweeted on Sunday that the two sides “decided together on the establishment of a direct communication channel prior to signing the normalization agreement” between the two countries and … meet again “.

Israel’s communications ministry said telecommunications providers in the UAE were calling for numbers exposed with Israel’s +972 country code.

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“I congratulate the United Arab Emirates for unblocking it,” said Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel.

“Many economic opportunities will now open up and these confidence-building steps are important for advancing the interests of the countries.”

The two sides are expected to arrive in Washington in three weeks time. Normalization of relations will include opening of embassies on each other’s territory.

In another sign of the new, closer relationship, the two countries signed an agreement on Saturday regarding Covid-19 research.

To date, Israel has not had diplomatic relations with Arab Gulf countries. But shared concerns about Iran have led to unofficial contacts between them.

President Trump’s chief adviser, Jared Kushner, told CBS that he and President Trump have been working on a deal between Israel and the UAE since Mr. Trump took office.

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The deal took Palestinian leaders by surprise. A spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said the deal was “betrayed”.

Since Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, it has only signed peace agreements with two other Arab countries – Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Mr Trump has said he expects more Arab and Muslim countries to sign treaties with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had delayed “West Bank annexation plans” but that plans “remained on the table. Through annexation, some areas of the West Bank would officially become part of Israel, and deal with a blow to Palestinian plans for a state of its own.