On the first trip of its kind … an Israeli delegation to Bahrain!

An Israeli delegation, accompanied by the US Secretary of the Treasury, arrived in Bahrain on Sunday for a visit aimed at formalizing emerging relations and expanding cooperation with the Gulf region.
The delegation is accompanied on its trip on a plane belonging to Israel’s El Al Airlines, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, whose office said the mission aims for “expanded economic cooperation” between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. United.

In the presence of Mnuchin at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, Avibier Quetz, the US envoy to the Middle East, said that Israel and Bahrain would sign a joint declaration to establish relations in the tourism, banking and diplomatic fields.
Also speaking at the airport, Meir Ben Shabat, national security adviser and head of the Israeli delegation, said the talks will focus on areas such as finance and aviation.
Israel and Bahrain signed the “Declaration of Peace, Cooperation and Diplomatic and Friendly Relations” in a private ceremony at the White House on September 15, but this document fell short of the limit of a formal treaty.
An official involved in preparing for the visit said Israel and Bahrain would sign a statement raising the level of relations.
The members of the delegation travel to Manama on a flight belonging to El Al, which carries the number 973, in reference to the international calling code of Bahrain.
On Monday, Mnuchin and the rest of the US officials will travel to the United Arab Emirates, whose agreement with Israel opened the door to bilateral trade.
On Tuesday, US officials will accompany the first UAE delegation on their visit to Israel.