Israel’s foreign minister made his first trip to a Gulf Arab nation with relations to Israel on Sunday, when he arrived in Bahrain for meetings with senior officials, according to state media.
During the two-day journey, Eli Cohen will meet the monarch of Bahrain and his counterpart in Manama with the help of a political and business group.
It is his first official trip to one of the nations that ratified the Abraham Accords in 2020, which saw Israel normalize relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco. The Abraham Accords were mediated by the US.
In mid-September, when the accords will celebrate their third anniversary, Cohen’s journey will take place.
Bahrain and the UAE have joined other Gulf Arab nations in denouncing Israel this year despite their stable relationship.
A Gulf outcry was brought on by Israeli actions including the invasion of the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and Israeli raids on the Palestinian camp of Jenin and the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
Cohen’s travel takes place as rumors of an impending normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which is not a party to the Abraham Accords, are rising.
According to those informed of the negotiations, Saudi prerequisites for progress on normalization have been discussed in talks between Riyadh and Washington.
Following Israel’s revelation of a meeting between Cohen and his former Libyan colleague in Rome last month, Israeli news analysts stated that such efforts had been badly damaged.
In Libya, which does not recognize Israel, the declaration triggered demonstrations, which resulted in Najla al-Mangoush’s removal as foreign minister.
Israel later refuted claims that it was behind the statement.
