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Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid this week visited Bahrain and met with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the royal palace, the first public meeting between the king and an Israeli official. Mr Lapid on Thursday officially opened Israel’s embassy in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, a year after the two countries agreed to normalise diplomatic relations.
“May our people live in peace and prosperity forever”, Lapid said during the inauguration. He added in Hebrew: “Israel made a major, historic step today in the Gulf”.
Mr Lapid’s first meeting of the day was with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif Al Zayani. Zayani stressed Bahrain’s desire to “broaden and deepen cooperation across a range of sectors”, and says that Bahrain has chosen “peace and dialogue as a strategic option”.
Lapid called for deepening “economic, security, diplomatic, and civilian” ties. “We will do everything to turn the partnership between Bahrain and Israel into a harmony, of cultures and religions”, Lapid said at the press conference. He added: “And primarily, a harmony between people”. The first commercial flight between Manama and Tel Aviv also took off for Israel Thursday morning shortly after Lapid landed in Bahrain. Since becoming foreign minister in June, Lapid has also visited the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, two countries that Israel has normalised relations with over the past year.
