Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visits Bahrain for the first time. He landed in the Gulf state on Sunday night, a spokesperson confirmed. It was Cohen’s first visit to one of the Gulf states that signed rapprochement agreements with Israel in 2020. Cohen will meet with his counterpart Abdullatif Al-Sajani, officially inaugurate the Israeli embassy at its permanent location in Manama and sign several agreements between the two countries.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said he will be accompanied by Israeli businesspeople on his trip, which is expected to last until Tuesday. The objective is to stimulate trade between countries and investments.
According to media reports, a previously planned visit by Cohen to Bahrain was canceled due to a controversial visit by Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the Temple Mount (Al-Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem in July.
The visit comes a week after Cohen’s diplomatic failure. There were violent protests in Libya after the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that Cohen would meet with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush. Mangoush has been suspended, according to media reports.
In September 2020, under US mediation, Israel agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Morocco and Sudan also subsequently announced such measures. Previously, only two Arab states – Egypt and Jordan – maintained relations with Israel.
Last year, then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Bahrain. Former Foreign Minister Yair Lapid opened the Israeli embassy at its temporary location in September 2021.