Israel is seeking to establish official relations with Bahrain, Israeli media has reported.
According to Israeli Channel 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his willingness to open diplomatic relations with Bahrain, during an unannounced visit of the Chadian President Idriss Deby to Jerusalem on Sunday.
In a news conference with Deby, Netanyahu said they had discussed the changing attitudes of some Arab countries towards Israel.
"This visit is only a prelude for something bigger, for another Middle East……the start for new relations and an indication that we are on the right track to correct history."https://t.co/qf5eCWV3dh
— Julie Lenarz (@MsJulieLenarz) November 24, 2018
“This was a manifest in my recent visit in Oman,” he said, referring to his trip last October, where he met Sultan Sayyid Qaboos at the royal palace in the coastal city of Seeb near the capital, Muscat.
The Israeli prime minister added:
“There will be more such visits in Arab countries very soon.”
Netanyahu’s trip was followed by the attendance of Israeli Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz at an international transport conference in Oman earlier this month, where he pitched a railway project that would link the Gulf countries to the Mediterranean via Israel.
Bahrain next on Netanyahu's Gulf strategy, following visit to Oman@noa_landau https://t.co/diJIwE7i3g
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) November 25, 2018
Hani Marzouk, the spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office for Arab media, said in remarks to the Israeli Broadcast Authority last Friday that it was “the beginning of new relations and an indication that we are on the right track to correct history”, without giving further details on the visit.
Marzouk said:
“The Kingdom of Bahrain is the next destination for Netanyahu.”
He added:
“Israel sees the Arab world is large, diverse and has rich human potential and it wants to establish great relations with it at the scientific and academic level.”
#Israel seeks to establish diplomatic ties with Bahrain | Bahrain #News: #Israel is seeking to establish official relations with Bahrain, Israeli media has reported. According to Israeli Channel 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his… https://t.co/zAGhHzUb0i pic.twitter.com/Fy8IsFbcli
— Saeed Valadbaygi (@SaeedBaygi) November 26, 2018
Meanwhile, Bahrain has invited Israel’s economics minister, Eli Cohen, to an economic start-up conference next April, organized by the World Bank.
According to Israeli media reports on Sunday, the three-day conference will discuss methods to promote economic growth with the participation of decision-makers, entrepreneurs and investors from 170 countries.
(AJE, PC, Social Media)
