‘From a peace between govts to a peace between people’

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on Tuesday with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Prime Minister, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, during his landmark trip to the tiny Gulf state – the first by an Israeli PM.

“I think we discussed many ways to build new bridges and architecture for a stronger and more stable region. I expect to continue the excellent relationship between us,” Bennett told the king.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Bahraini monarch hailed the “historic day”, noting Bennett is the first Israeli prime minister to visit the kingdom.

“Because of [Bennett’s] determination and leadership, this was a productive and successful visit,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. “I thank you for coming here.”

Arriving earlier at the Crown Prince’s office in Manama, he was welcomed by a military band playing Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.

“All responsible nations must make an effort to achieve peace,” the Crown Prince said, according to a statement from Bennett’s office.

“Not that there has ever been a war between us, but relations between our countries have not been sound.”

Bennett thanked Al Khalifa for the “warm and generous welcome”.

“I see a very big opportunity here,” he said. “This is the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Bahrain. I come from Israel with a spirit of goodwill, cooperation, of standing together in the face of common challenges, and I think our goal in this visit is to turn this peace from a peace between governments to a peace between people, and convert it from something ceremonial to something meaningful.”

The PM also met with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani; Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani; and Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the men discussed partnerships and various ideas relating to the economy, technology and innovation, as well as making use of the two countries’ geographical advantages to improve transporting goods between Asia and Europe, among other things.

They also discussed economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and business owners, both Jews and Muslims, the statement said.

Bennett said, “My purpose in this visit is to mould more content into the Abraham Accords in trade, interpersonal relationships and in all aspects. I look forward to the rest of the day.”

Bennett later spoke to Bahraini university students and presented his plan to bolster relations between the two countries. He also fielded questions from the audience.

“The fault lines [in the Middle East] used to be between Arabs and Israelis. But now, the fault lines are between agents of terror and chaos – and people of hope,” he said.

“You see, the future of Israel’s relations with the Middle East – they don’t just depend on declarations, they rely on real connections between people,” the PM added, urging the students to visit Israel.

“The Middle East is changing and I am convinced that Israel’s growing friendships with Bahrain and other countries in the region – are a leading force in the profound change.”

Among those in the audience were several Saudi reporters, who came to cover the speech and the Q&A session.

They were presented to the Israeli media before entering the hall. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, but have maintained long-held clandestine ties.

Bennett’s trip comes under the shadow of ongoing negotiations between world powers and Iran, a common enemy of Israel and Bahrain.

In an interview with a Bahraini paper published on Tuesday morning, Bennett said that Israel would confront Iran and its proxies in the region and aid its allies.

“We will fight Iran and its followers in the region night and day. We will aid our friends in strengthening peace, security and stability, whenever we are asked to do so,” Bennett told the state-linked Al-Ayyam broadsheet.

Bahrain’s ruling Sunni minority fears Iranian influence over the country’s Shiite majority, which has been historically excluded from decision-making. Iran has also unofficially backed revolutionary groups in Bahrain over the years.

Israel sees tightening its relationship with its Gulf Arab allies as an important step in its regional struggle with Tehran, Bennett said.

“Iran supports terrorist groups active in your region and in our region for the sake of one goal. Iran seeks to destroy moderate states that care for the welfare of their people and work toward security and peace, replacing them with bloodthirsty terrorist groups,” Bennett charged.

Separately, Bennett met with the local Bahraini Jewish community on Tuesday morning.

He called the community “family”, saying that they play a special role in advancing the normalisation process between the Jewish state and Bahrain.

TIMES OF ISRAEL