Bahrain will be the next Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel, according to a Sept. 1 report from the Israeli public broadcast outlet Kan.
An Israeli official told Kan that the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and Bahrain will be announced later in September, after the official signing of an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Israel-UAE plan was announced on Aug. 13; the White House is lobbying for the signing ceremony to occur before Rosh Hashanah begins on Sept. 18.
Bahrain also is pushing for negotiation talks to ramp up, according to the Kan report.
However, The Times of Israel reported on Sept. 1 that Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa told White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, who also President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, that Bahrain will not act to normalize relations until Saudi Arabia does because Bahrain views the Saudis as the key to stability in the region. The Saudis have said that they won’t normalize ties with Israel until a two-state solution is reached with the Palestinians.
Bahraini officials also reportedly told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the country won’t normalize ties with Israel until a Palestinian stated is established.
On Sept. 2, the Saudis announced that they would allow Israel to use its airspace for flights to and from the UAE; the first flight between Israel and the UAE occurred on Aug. 31 and it flew over Saudi airspace.
