Foreign Minister Yair Lapid concluded his visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain on Thursday night with a visit to the headquarters of the United States Fifth Fleet, in what can be seen as an implicit message aimed at showing unity against Iran.
Lapid said the visit to the kingdom, the first by an Israeli minister since the two countries established official ties in 2020, was a "historic day." Dedicating the new Israeli embassy in the kingdom he said, "Although the path remains long, Israel has taken a big step" and added that the progress gives him "a lot of hope."
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Arriving in Manama on a plane with an olive branch painted on its nose, Lapid met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and then signed five bilateral cooperation deals. This was the first time one of the rulers of the four Arab nations of the Abraham Accords meets an Israeli cabinet member.
"His Majesty's leadership and inspiration have led to true cooperation and our meeting outlined the path forward for our relationship," Lapid said on Twitter after the palace audience.
Bahrain and Gulf neighbor United Arab Emirates normalized relations with Israel last year in a US-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords that built on common commercial interests and worries about Iran. Sudan and Morocco followed suit.
"Our opportunities are shared. Our threats are also shared, and they aren't far from here," Lapid said in remarks to reporters, according to a transcript issued by his office.
It said that Lapid and his Bahrain counterpart signed deals on cooperation in medicine, healthcare, sports, and on water and environmental conservation. Lapid also inaugurated Israel's embassy in Manama.
Separately, the first Gulf Air commercial flight touched down in Tel Aviv, launching a twice-weekly direct connection.
In Gaza, the terrorist group Hamas criticized Bahrain for hosting Lapid, who returns to Israel on Thursday evening. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said this represented "an encouragement" of what he described as Israeli "crimes against our Palestinian people and their sacred sites".
The accords have also been criticized by Bahraini opposition figures, speaking largely from abroad, as well as locals who stand against normalization.
The island state, which quashed an uprising led mostly by Shi'ite Muslim members of its population in 2011, saw some sporadic acts of protest after the pact was signed.
On Thursday Bahraini activists circulated on social media images of what appeared to be small protests in Bahrain, including some tire burnings. Reuters was unable to independently verify these.
The Sunni-ruled kingdom, host to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, accuses Iran of stoking unrest in Bahrain, a charge that Tehran denies.
Members of the Jewish community met with the foreign minister during his visit and participated in the ceremony where a new mezuzah gifted by the community was placed on the Israeli Embassy.
"Today was historic for both Bahrain and Israel and an important moment for our Jewish community," Ebrahim D. Nonoo, president of the Jewish Community of Bahrain, said. "We had the opportunity to speak with the Foreign Minister and hear from him about the significance of the Bahrain-Israel relationship and we shared some of the recent milestones and developments in our community."
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