Israeli Foreign Minister Visits Bahrain In Historic Meeting

King Hamad al Khalifa of Bahrain (Flickr)

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived in Bahrain on September 30 in the first high-profile Israeli visit to the Gulf state since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2020.

An official statement by the Israeli foreign ministry said that Lapid was invited by his Bahraini counterpart to the capital of Manama. 

After Lapid landed at the airport, senior officials greeted him at the tarmac and escorted him to his appointment. The Israeli foreign minister then met with Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa al Khalifa, in the first meeting between an Israeli government official and the monarch of Bahrain. Reports from Israeli media outlets stated that the two individuals discussed various matters related to security and economic ties.

Lapid also met with Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa, as well as Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Later, the Israeli foreign minister and his staff engaged in a more official discussion with Bahraini diplomatic counterparts to lock down security and economic cooperation agreements. 

Ultimately, the two countries are expected to sign several agreements related to fields such as water, energy, and medicine. An Israeli spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry stated, “The main areas in which Bahrain is looking for cooperation have to do with the economy and technology, and a few of the MOU's [memorandums of understanding] that will be signed will be about that.” Lapid concluded his official visit by inaugurating the new Israeli embassy in Manama, with several senior Bahraini diplomatic officials in attendance. 

This visit occurred amid a broader rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbors in the last few years. Besides Bahrain, Israel also opened diplomatic relations with Morocco and the United Arab Emirates in 2020, and the country has begun cooperating on security issues with Saudi Arabia. These events are believed to be a result of the greater Saudi-Iranian conflict, with more Arab countries forming an informal alliance against Iran. Israel is therefore increasingly seen as a desirable ally by neighboring countries in light of the ongoing geopolitical rivalry.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry unsurprisingly condemned Bahrain for its reception of the Israeli foreign minister, stating that the Gulf state had left a “stain” on its image. Iranian spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh announced, “The people of the region will continue to oppose the process of normalization of ties with the Zionist regime.”