Israel foreign minister makes landmark visit to Bahrain

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid landed in Bahrain on Thursday morning. This is the first trip by a high-ranking Israeli official to Bahrain, a year after the two nations established formal ties.

Though Bahrain had long cooperated with Israel in areas of mutual interest, the Arab nation opposed any regional rapprochement with Israel until it made steps to resolve the conflict with Palestinians.

Last year, driven by shared business interests as well as fears of Iranian dominance in the region, Bahrain agreed to establish ties with Israel under the so-called Abraham Accords.

The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements that were brokered by the United States between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.

Arab states party to the agreement have hailed the prospect of more immediate and diplomatic ties with Israel as groundbreaking.

What is Lapid doing in Bahrain?

Lapid will inaugurate Israel's embassy in Manama and hold talks with his Bahraini counterpart.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two countries would sign five memorandums of understanding (MOUs). They'll range from cooperation between hospitals to agreements with water and power companies.

"The main areas in which Bahrain is looking for cooperation have to do with the economy and technology, and a few of the MOUs that will be signed will be about that," the spokesperson added.

So far, 12 MOUs have been signed between the two countries. Those have to do with cooperation on transportation, agriculture, communication, and finance, according to the spokesperson.

"We see Bahrain as an important partner, on the bilateral level but also as a bridge to cooperate with other countries in the region," the spokesperson added.

Bahrain's Gulf Air is also due to make its first direct commercial flight to Tel Aviv later in the day. Lapid returns to Israel on Thursday evening.

What makes Lapid's trip historic?

The United Arab Emirates was the first country to sign on to the Abraham Accords. Bahrain and Morocco soon followed suit.

Former US President Donald Trump considered the Abraham Accords to be his major foreign policy legacy.

The Joe Biden administration is keen on having more Arab states sign on to the agreements as well. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a virtual event with top diplomats of Israel, UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain on September 17.

The Abraham Accords also had a transactional air, with Trump promising state-of-the-art F35 warplanes to the UAE. He also recognized Morroco's claims to Western Sahara — in defiance of internal community consensus.

The Biden administration has quietly kept the incentive in place, though it said it will increase jet sale oversight.

rm/rt (Reuters, AP)