Israel and Bahrain formalize ties at a ceremony in Manama

Bahrain and Israel have signed a joint communique to formally normalizer ties during a visit by an Israeli and US delegation to Manama.

Bahrain had agreed to normalize ties with Israel in negotiations last month after the United Arab Emirates.

According to the international news agency, the Israeli delegation was accompanied by US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. The delegation flew on an El Al Israel Airlines charter flight from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.

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Bahraini Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdullatif al-Zayani signed the ceremony with Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. He said after signing, “It was indeed a historic visit, to start opening relations between both countries.”

Al-Zayani met Ben-Shabbat, who explained the move as a “promising beginning” and said the Israeli delegation was accepted “with open arms, with warmth and cordiality”.

Al-Zayani said engagement and cooperation were the most effective and sustainable ways of bringing about genuine and lasting peace in the region and said his country supported resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through dialogue.

On the other hand, Mnuchin explained the move as a significant step in regional stability and “just the beginning of the work that is going forward”.

He earlier said to the reporters, “I think the opportunity is way beyond just investments,”

“It’s in technology, building various different businesses – and in the case of Bahrain as well, really expanding the opportunities for them quite, quite, quite dramatically.”

Ben-Shabbat spoke at an arrival ceremony at Manama airport. He said that looked forward to hosting a Bahraini delegation in Israel soon.