Israeli president lands in Bahrain for 1st state visit

ANKARA 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Bahrain on Sunday for his first state visit to the Gulf nation since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020.

Herzog was welcomed upon arrival at the airport by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani.

Shortly after arrival, the Israeli president held talks with Bahrani King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in the capital Manama where they discussed bilateral relations and regional developments.

King Hamad affirmed Bahrain’s “firm position in support of achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people,” the state news agency BNA reported.

Herzog, for his parts, thanked the Bahrain king for his reception and hailed his “vision of peace, friendship & tolerance and his great contributions to the Abraham Accords,” the official name of the normalization deal between the two countries.

“We must strengthen our alliances for peace and bring more states and nations into the circle of peace in our region,” he added on Twitter.

During his two-day visit, the Israeli president is scheduled to meet with members of the local Jewish community in Bahrain.

After Bahrain, Herzog will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In pre-departure statements at Ben Gurion Airport, Herzog said his visit holds “a message of peace in the region.”

Bahrain was among four Arab countries that signed US-sponsored agreements to normalize their relations with Israel in 2020. The other countries were the UAE, Morocco and Sudan.

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