Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, marked the opening of phone lines to Israel with a call on Sunday to Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.
It came three days after the UAE and Israel held a joint call with the US to start the process of normalising relations in exchange for a halt to Israeli annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank and Jordan Valley.
Hend Al Otaiba, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, on Sunday confirmed the call between Sheikh Abdullah and Mr Ashkenazi:
Mr Ashkenazi tweeted about the call, saying he and Sheikh Abdullah had “decided together to establish a direct communication channel ahead of the signing of the normalisation agreement between the two countries”.
He said they had also agreed to “meet soon”.
Israeli Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel tweeted: "I congratulate the United Arab Emirates on the unblocking.
"Many economic opportunities will now open up, and these trust-building steps are important for advancing the countries' interests."
The National was able to make calls to Israel on Sunday using landlines and mobile phones.
Some Israeli websites that were blocked in the UAE also appeared to be accessible on Sunday, although there was no official announcement from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of a change of policy.
Etisalat and du, the UAE’s two telecoms companies, have yet to respond to a request for comment over the change.
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
