Bahrain joining UAE in normalizing ties with Israel, Trump announces

September 11, 2020

i24 News
September 11, 2020

Bahrain has agreed to formalize the deal with Israel at a ceremony on September 15 at the White House

Bahrain will become the next Arab country to normalize the ties with Israel, following in the footsteps of the landmark agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, US President Donald Trump announced via Twitter on Friday.

Bahrain has agreed to formalize the deal with Israel at a ceremony on September 15 at the White House, where the United Arab Emirates will also sign off on it agreement with Israel, announced in mid-August.

The UAE and Israel announced they would establish diplomatic relations on August 13.

Trump tweeted out the news after he spoke by phone to both Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said.

Earlier this month Bahrain announced that UAE-Israel flights were permitted to fly over the island kingdom, following Saudi Arabia’s lead.

Bahrain, a small island state, is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the site of the US Navy’s regional headquarters.

Like most other Gulf countries, Bahrain shares with Israel a common enemy in Iran.

The Friday announcement makes Bahrain the fourth Arab country to reach such an agreement with Israel, after UAE last month and Egypt and Jordan decades ago.

Speaking to i24NEWS in 2018, Rabbi Marc Schneier, an advisor to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, said that Bahrain will reach an agreement with Israel within two years.

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