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US President Trump is campaigning for his Israel-friendly Middle East policy. Now it can announce another success: after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain also wants to normalize its relations with Israel.
According to the United States government, the Kingdom of Bahrain now also wants to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and thus recognize the Jewish state. “Another historic breakthrough,” wrote US President Donald Trump on Twitter. “Our two great friends, Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain, agree to a peace agreement.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “excited to announce that we are going to sign another peace agreement with another Arab country, Bahrain.” He thanked Trump: “After the second peace agreement with an Arab country, it took us 26 years for the third, but only 29 days from the third to the fourth, and there will be more,” he said.
Next week, Trump will host a ceremony at the White House to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Sajani also wants to participate. In a joint communication from the United States, Bahrain and Israel, al-Sajani was said to sign a “declaration of peace” with Netanyahu at the ceremony. The establishment of direct dialogue and diplomatic relations “would continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and enhance stability, security and prosperity in the region.”
The agreements would make the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab countries, after Egypt and Jordan, to have diplomatic relations with Israel. In exchange for the deal, Israel wants to suspend the planned annexation of areas in the occupied West Bank, which the Palestinians claim for their own state.
Trump talks about “peace in the Middle East”
Trump was committed to the rapprochement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. After the breakthrough, he repeatedly hoped for further progress and even spoke of a possible “Middle East peace.” On Thursday, the president said at the White House that another country could follow the example of the United Arab Emirates. “There are countries lining up to join.” He is also in conversation with Saudi King Salman.
Trump was optimistic that the Palestinians would again show their willingness to speak out if the countries that supported them followed the course of the United Arab Emirates. The Palestinians have boycotted the US government since Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in late 2017 and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv in May 2018. He accuses Trump of a unilateral pro-Israel policy.
Trump scores with evangelical voters
Less than two months before the US election, Trump has another diplomatic success to show that he should cement his support among pro-Israel evangelicals in the United States. Last week, Trump announced preliminary agreements that Kosovo would diplomatically recognize Israel. Serbia also wants to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
At the same time, the president of the United States is promoting among voters his tough stance against Israel’s archenemy, Iran. The normalization of relations between Israel and the United States’ Arab allies in the region is a central goal of Trump’s Middle East policy to isolate Iran.
Close ties with the United States and Iran
The Kingdom of Bahrain is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. The three countries jointly imposed the blockade on their Gulf neighbor Qatar in 2017. Bahrain was one of the first to congratulate the UAE on its historic treaty with Israel. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa called it a “historic step towards peace.”
Bahrain also has close ties with the United States. The fifth US fleet is stationed there. Last year, the Gulf state and Washington hosted a controversial economic conference for the Palestinians in their capital, Manama. While Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni ruling house, the majority of the population is Shiite. Therefore, traditionally, the country is closely linked to Iran, which is also Shiite.
In 2011, in the wake of the Arab uprisings, protests also broke out in Bahrain, calling for democratic reforms and measures to combat discrimination against Shiites. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states later sent troops. They supported the ruling family when the protests ended with violence. It continues to crack down on members of the Shiite opposition with a heavy hand.
