MANAMA, Bahrain — President Isaac Herzog left for Bahrain on Sunday morning and began his two-day visit to Israel’s allies in the Persian Gulf region with a meeting with the King and Bahrain’s foreign minister.
The trip is the first by an Israeli president to the island nation, followed by a visit to the United Arab Emirates, both of which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020.
Before leaving, Herzog said the trip was “above all a message of peace in the region.”
“Another historic step in the relationship between Israel and the Arab states that signed the Abraham Accords, with the hope that more and more countries will be able to join the circle of peace with the State of Israel,” he said Duke in English.
Upon landing in Manama, Herzog and his wife Michal were greeted by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani and Bahrain’s Envoy to Israel, Khaled Yousif Al-Jalahma.
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Then he sat down to meet Al-Zayani.
President Isaac Herzog before his visit to Bahrain, December 4, 2022 (Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO)
Herzog then went to Al-Qudaibiya Palace where he was received by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
A military band played the national anthems of the two countries before the two leaders entered the palace.
King Hamad welcomed Herzog in Arabic and stressed Bahrain’s “firm position in support of a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.
Opening his statement in Arabic, Herzog said to King Hamad: “My friend, Your Majesty, thank you for welcoming me as the first Israeli President to visit the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
In the afternoon, Herzog is scheduled to meet with members of the local Jewish community and then head to a meeting with the Bahrain Economic Development Board.
On Monday, the President will head to Abu Dhabi to meet with his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi known colloquially as MBZ. Herzog will also attend the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a forum on space exploration policy that will also be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa during the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 21, 2016. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Representatives from Israel’s Innovation Authority, Start-Up Nation Central, the Israel Export Institute and other trade representatives will accompany the President on the trip.
The visit comes as the Gulf has shown recent anti-Israel sentiments, breaking down the facade of widespread support for normalization in both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Opposition to official government policies is rare in both countries, which are run by authoritarian regimes, but support for the Abraham Accords has waned in both places.
Ahead of Herzog’s visit on Friday, protesters in Bahrain chanted “death to Israel” at rallies against the upcoming trip. The protesters were linked to opposition groups supporting Iran, news site Ynet reported.
Some carried signs with Herzog’s likeness, which read “criminal” and “You are not welcome in Bahrain”.
Local authorities allowed the anti-Israel protests but would not allow similar events during Herzog’s visit, the report said.
A Bahraini opposition outlet said the protesters burned an Israeli flag and engaged with riot police.
According to a Thursday report by Israel’s Channel 12, the Shin Bet had decided to beef up Herzog’s security detail for the trip following an online social media campaign by Bahraini opposition activists.
One of the activist posts against Herzog said: “Any normalization is an act of treason. Do not come.”
In Qatar, which is hosting the World Cup, some Israeli visitors to the country for the tournament have been harassed and accosted by locals and others.
Israel normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The deal paved the way for normalization with Morocco months later.
President Isaac Herzog inspects an honor guard with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, January 30, 2022. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
In January, Duke visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on a two-day trip.
Last month, presumptive new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The two shared their desire to further deepen ties between the two countries, and Netanyahu invited Al Khalifa to visit Israel.
In October, a delegation of Israeli paratroopers, along with soldiers from the Gulf nation, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, conducted a joint jump over Bahrain to celebrate two years after the signing of the Abraham Accords.
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