NEWS FROM ISRAEL

 

Israel Signs Peace Deal with Bahrain; Establishes 28 Direct Weekly Flights to UAE.

Israel’s commercial El Al flight 973 [pictured below]— a nod to the international dialling code for Bahrain — flew through Saudi Arabia’s airspace en route to Manama.

A joint American-Israeli delegation landed in Bahrain on Sunday, where officials signed a number of bilateral agreements following an announcement last month to normalize relations.

During the meetings, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed on 28 direct flights per week between the two countries.

The governments also approved 10 weekly cargo flights a week and unlimited charter flights to Eilat, an Israeli resort town in the country’s south.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, led the delegation that flew out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.

Ahead of departure, Ben-Shabbat stated:

“I am excited and proud to head the Israeli delegation that is leaving today for talks in Bahrain. We are leaving for the talks in order to translate the peace declaration that was signed on the White House lawn by US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, on behalf of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, [pictured above] into practical plans and concrete agreements”.

“Today we will hold discussions in professional teams and working groups on a long series of issues: Finance and investments, trade and economy, tourism, aviation, communications, culture, science, technology, agriculture and others”.

“We are excited and together we will pray that God might lead us to peace and that we might reach our destination for good life and peace.

Israel’s commercial El Al flight 973 — a nod to the international dialling code for Bahrain — flew through Saudi Arabia’s airspace en route to Manama, where dignitaries from all three countries spoke at a ceremony after landing.

U.S., Israeli and Bahraini flags festooned the tarmac before take-off. Ben-Shabbat, one of the key Israeli officials involved in negotiations with Bahrain, said ahead of take-off that the visit will “translate plans to actions and concrete agreements” with the signing of a range of deals involving finance, investment, trade, tourism, communications, technology and agriculture.

Another Israeli official said the visit represents the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries with the sides expected to sign a joint statement establishing full diplomatic relations.

The decision to establish ties with Israel has outraged the Arab Palestinians, whose leadership has blasted the Bahraini move, and a similar Emirati deal, as a betrayal and an undermining of the Arab stance that recognition of Israel should come only after Arab Palestinians achieve an independent state of their own.

As part of the deal to normalize relations, the two Gulf Arab states and Israel will eventually establish embassies and exchange ambassadors. The Israeli official said the Israeli embassy was expected to open in Bahrain in the coming months.