The UAE has set up a phone link with Israel following a historic agreement between the two countries. UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi "inaugurated a phone link between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel following the historic peace accord," said UAE Director of Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hend Al-Otaiba in a post on Twitter on Sunday. Telephone calls between the UAE and Israel are now unblocked. The Israeli news website The Times of Israel was also available in the UAE on Sunday, after being previously blocked in the country. On Thursday the UAE and Israel announced a peace deal to normalize relations between the countries, in exchange for the Israeli government halting its annexation of Palestinian land. Known as the "Abraham Accord," the diplomatic agreement between the UAE and Israel is Israel's first peace treaty with an Arab country in 25 years. Israeli and Emirati delegations will meet in the coming weeks to establish bilateral agreements on a range of issues including telecommunications, tourism, and healthcare. — Agencies
