‘’I think that in this tumultuous period, it is doubly important that from our region should come a message of cooperation, goodwill, standing together in the face of threats and building bridges to peace,” Bennett said.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett departed Monday night on a historic visit to Bahrain at the invitation of Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa.

This is the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to Bahrain.

Bennett was received with an honor guard by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Industry, the Head of Protocol, the Israeli Ambassador to Bahrain and other senior officials.

Upon his departure, Bennett said: “I am now taking off for Bahrain, on the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to the kingdom. This is a moving event. I am going to meet the King and Crown Prince, and hold a series of meetings, the goal of which is to provide content and energy for the peace between the two countries.”

‘’I think that in this tumultuous period, it is doubly important that from our region should come a message of cooperation, goodwill, standing together in the face of threats and building bridges to peace,” he added.

He will also meet with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, as well as the Gulf state’s finance, foreign, industry and other ministers and representatives of the Jewish community.

The leaders are expected to discuss ways to deepen ties between the countries, regional prosperity, technology and innovation, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Bahrain two weeks ago and signed an MoU to increase defense cooperation between the countries.

Bahrain normalized relations with Israel by signing on to the US-backed Abraham Accords in 2022.