Telephone service starts operating between Israel and UAE

Days after the announcement of a historic deal for diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, telephone service on Sunday is operating between the two nations.

The Associated Press also reported that Israeli news sites that were formerly blocked by UAE leaders are now available to visit without the need to circumvent "internet filtering in the Emirates," which previously was in place.

"Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Handel issued a statement 'congratulating the United Arab Emirates on removing the blocks,' " the AP reported. 

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to President Trump, in a Saturday opinion piece praised the president's Middle East strategy and his involvement in the recently announced deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in which the two countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations.

"This deal came together as a result of negotiations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, facilitated and led by the United States," Kushner wrote. "But it was the strategic policy shift undertaken by President Trump 3½ years ago that laid the foundation for the breakthrough the world witnessed this week. The agreement would not have been possible without the leadership of a president who refuses to do things the same old way just because 'that’s how it has always been done.' 

"Three-and-a-half years later, this strategic realignment continues to pay off," Kushner wrote. "The Islamic State caliphate has been destroyed, its brutal leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed. Iran remains a pariah state but is more constrained than ever before. And thanks to the courageous leaders of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East this week took a great step toward a future in which people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds can live together in the spirit of cooperation and peace."