The warmth in Bahrain-Israel relations that was unimaginable some time ago
It is highly unlikely that the Bahraini Interior Ministry band had ever played the tune of the Israeli national anthem before, but it seemed to them that they had practically mastered it. Was
The Israeli national anthem was played during
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| The warmth in Bahrain-Israel relations that was unimaginable some time ago |
an honorary guard of honor on the grounds of the Al-Qudaybiyyah palace of Bahrain's ruling Khalifa dynasty. Then I saw the exchange of smiles between the Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett and the Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad in the sunlight.
It was a scene unimaginable a few years ago. And so it was inconceivable that in the floodlights of the airport, an Israeli leader and the royal family of the Gulf countries mingled with each other on the red carpet.
But already the issue was starting to feel a little less significant. And now it's becoming part of the routine.
This is the second visit of an Israeli Prime Minister to Bahrain in the last two months. He visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December. The OAE and Bahrain have signed trade and defense agreements with Israel.
It has been a year and a half since the Abraham Accord was signed and now it includes four Arab countries.
The agreements were brokered by former US President Donald Trump and signed by then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2020. Mr Bennett is keen to step out of the shadow of his predecessor and sees his work as moving "from ceremony to reality".
On Monday, two flights to Dubai and one to Abu Dhabi were on board at Ben Gurion Airport. Our flight to Bahrain consisted of airport security, Prime Minister's security and a two-and-a-half hour flight that had to fly over Saudi Arabia before landing in Manama (Bahrain's capital).
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