[ad_1]
image copyrightReuters
Israel and the Gulf state of Bahrain have reached a historic agreement to fully normalize their relations, US President Donald Trump announced.
“The second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days,” he tweeted.
For decades, most Arab states have boycotted Israel, insisting that they would only establish ties after the Palestinian dispute was resolved.
But last month, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to normalize its relationship with Israel.
There has been much speculation that Bahrain could follow suit.
Trump, who presented his Middle East peace plan in January with the goal of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, helped negotiate both agreements.
-
Israel opens a new tentative chapter with the Gulf Arabs
- What does Trump’s plan for the Middle East say on key issues?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “excited” that “another peace agreement” had been reached with another Arab country on Friday.
“This is a new era of peace. Peace for peace. Economy for economy. We have invested in peace for many years and now peace will invest in us,” he said.
Bahrain is only the fourth Arab Middle Eastern country to recognize Israel since its founding in 1948. The others are Egypt and Jordan.
“Another historic breakthrough today!” Trump wrote on Twitter, adding: “Our two BIG friends, Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain, agree to a Peace Agreement.”
“This is a historic breakthrough to promote peace in the Middle East” that “will increase stability, security and prosperity in the region,” the statement read.
More recently, shared concerns about Iran have led to unofficial contacts between them.
Last month saw Israel’s first official flight to the United Arab Emirates, which was seen as an important step in normalizing relations.
President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who was on the plane, described the agreement with the United Arab Emirates as “the ability to change the entire course of the Middle East.”
Bahrain said last week that it would allow flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to use its airspace.
Trump is scheduled to organize a ceremony in Washington next Tuesday for the official signing of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
In 1999, Mauritania, a member of the Arab League in northwest Africa, established diplomatic relations with Israel, but severed relations in 2010.
Related topics
-
Israel
- Bahrain
[ad_2]
