Bahrain to normalize relations with Israel, White House announces
Bahrain will be the second Arab country to normalize relations with Israel during the Trump presidency, the White House announced Friday.The news comes only a few weeks after the United Arab Emirates and Israel agreed to normalize relations under a deal brokered by the United States. Bahrain would be the fourth Arab nation to recognize Israel, which has been treated as a state-non-grata by much of the Arab world for decades.AdvertisementSenior White House adviser Jared Kushner hinted to reporters Friday that other Arab countries could follow suit.Following the agreement announcement between the UAE and Israel, an El Al flight was allowed to use Saudi airspace for the first time to travel between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. When asked if Saudi-Israeli rapprochement could be in the works, Kushner said: "It's definitely worth noticing a trend in the region.""The leadership in the region is — they recognize that the approach that's been taken in the past hasn't worked, and they realize that their people want to see a more vibrant and exciting future," Kushner said. "It was noticed by everyone in the region how well the deal with Israel and United Arab Emirates was received."Kushner added that "it's an inevitability" that all countries in the Middle East normalize relations with Israel.President Donald Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Friday to commit to the deal, according to a statement Trump tweeted. King Hamad and Netanyahu thanked Trump for his "pragmatic and unique approach" to bringing the nations together, the statement said."This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East," the statement said. "Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region."The Bahraini foreign minister will join Netanyahu and representatives of the UAE at the White House next week to sign a declaration of peace, the statement said.The Trump administration has long had its eyes set on brokering a peace agreement in the Middle East, and the White House contends the latest thaws put Trump in line for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump was nominated for the prize by a right-wing Norwegian lawmaker for the agreement between the UAE and Israel.
Link to article: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/bahrain-israel-relations-white-house-412553
