Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates to conclude an agreement on Friday to normalize with Israel, a dramatic movement aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East.
U. S. President Donald Trump tweeted the news after speaking by phone with Bahrain’s king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the White House.
“This is a historic step forward in the search for peace in the Middle East,” the United States, Bahrain, and Israel said in a joint statement.
“Opening up a direct discussion and links between these two dynamic societies and complex economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and generate stability, security and prosperity in the region,” he said.
Last month, the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize with Israel as part of an agreement negotiated across the United States. The agreement is expected to be signed on September 15 in a White House rite organized through Trump and attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Relaxation with Israel occurs amid combined fears about Iran’s risk to the region.
Trump’s leadership has tried to get other Sunni Arab countries to interact with Israel, but the maximum of them, Saudi Arabia, noted that he is un prepared.
Bahrain, a small island state, is Saudi Arabia’s best friend and the site of the US Navy’s regional headquarters. But it’s not the first time In 2011, Riyadh sent troops to Bahrain to quell an uprising and, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, presented Bahrain with a $10 billion economic bailout in 2018.
Friday’s deal makes Bahrain the fourth Arab country to succeed in such an agreement with Israel since the exchange of embassies with Egypt and Jordan decades ago.
Last week, Bahrain said it would allow flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to use its airspace, following a Saudi ruling allowing an Israeli commercial aircraft to fly over the territory towards the United Arab Emirates.
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