Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog left for a state visit to Bahrain today. It was the first visit by an Israeli head of state to the Gulf state, Herzog’s office said. Duke comes at the invitation of King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa. Before leaving, Herzog said the visit was “another historic step in relations between Israel and the Arab countries”.
The President of Israel will be accompanied by a delegation of industry and trade members. Tomorrow he will be invited by the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. It should be about cooperation in the field of space travel.
Diplomatic relations since 2020
In 2020, the Emirates and Bahrain became the first Gulf states to sign an agreement establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. The rapprochement is aimed primarily at Shiite Iran, in which the Emirates see an archenemy. But economic interests also played a role. Until then, only the neighboring countries of Egypt and Jordan, as Arab states, maintained diplomatic relations with Israel.