Israel and Bahrain to open embassies in each others territories, says Abdellatif al-Zayani

Israel and Bahrain will open embassies in each others territories soon, their foreign ministers said on Wednesday (November 18), as the two countries look to broaden cooperation that Washington has promoted as an anti-Iran alliance and potential economic bonanza.

On a first official visit by Bahraini officials to Israel, the Gulf kingdom's foreign minister, Abdullatif Al-Zayani, said his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, would visit Manama in December.

Askenazi, speaking at Israel's foreign ministry with Al-Zayani, said he hoped the opening ceremonies would be held by the end of 2020.

Bahrainand its Gulf neighbour the United Arab Emirates both signed US-sponsored normalisation accords with Israel at the White House on September 15, pacts that were condemned as a "betrayal" by the Palestinians and their allies.

The agreements shattered a longstanding Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation with Israel until it reaches a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.

By the end of 2020 Bahraini citizens will be able to apply online for a visa to visit Israel, Ashkenazi said, and direct flights would start soon.

At a joint appearance following their talks, Ashkenazi hailed Zayani's visit as "yet another historic day in the Middle East".

"It is an exciting moment to meet a friend for the first time, face-to-face," he said.

The Bahraini delegation travelled on Gulf Air flight GF972, a reference to Israel's telephone country code,on the airline's first commercial flight to Tel Aviv.

President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Avi Berkowitz, was also on the flight, which flew over Saudi Arabia, an accommodation by the Gulf’s powerhouse, which has so far resisted USappeals to normalise ties with Israel.

Zayani expressed "confidence that this historic visit will be a further step on our journey towards a better more peaceful more secure and more prosperous Middle East."

He was due to hold talks in Jerusalem later Wednesday with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

During his two-day trip, Pompeo is expected to make the first visit by a senior US official to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

All Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land are regarded as illegal by most of the international community.

Their persistent expansion under successive Netanyahu-led governments has proved one of the biggest obstacles to the peace process with the Palestinians.

The United States has very close relations withBahraintoo. The tiny but strategic kingdom just across the Gulf from Iran is home to the US Fifth Fleet.

All three allies,Israel,Bahrainand the US,see the Shiite regional power as a common threat.

Zayani's visit is expected to be followed by others.

On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin sent an official invitation to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayad Al-Nahyan, seen by many as the UAE's de facto ruler.

Since September, the Trump administration has brokered agreements with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan toward normalising their relations with Israel in a strategic realignment against Iran.

The shift has enraged the Palestinians who have demanded statehood before any such regional rapprochement.

Although White House officials have said more countries are considering normalising ties with Israel, further developments appear unlikely before U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes office and establishes his administration’s policy on Iran.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, speaking on Army Radio, said a commitment towards a tough policy on Iran by the next administration in Washington would determine whether other countries would opt for normalisation deals with Israel.