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Relations have existed between Bahrain and Israel since Bahrain achieved its independence in 1971. In recent years, relations between the two countries have been thawing, [1] [2] [3] and the countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations in September 2020. [4] The foreign minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been quoted saying "Israel is part of the heritage of this whole region, historically. So, the Jewish people have a place amongst us." [5] [6] The common threat of Iran has provided common ground for a thaw in what were once tense relations. [7] Bahrain's foreign policy traditionally supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state. [8]
Following their independence from the British rule in 1971, Bahrain became part of the Arab League boycott of Israel. Later on, Bahrain sent representatives to the Madrid Conference of 1991. [9]
The first official Israeli delegation to visit Bahrain was in late September 1994, [10] when Yossi Sarid, Israel's Minister for the Environment, took part in regional discussions on environmental issues and met with Bahrain's foreign minister. [11] However, trade missions were opened in both capitals after the Oslo I Accord, though they were closed after Al-Aqsa Intifada, which erupted in 2000. [12]
Bahrain abandoned its boycott of Israel in 2005, in exchange for a free trade agreement with the United States. [13] In September 2017, the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, denounced the Arab League boycott of Israel, saying that the kingdom's citizens were entitled to visit Israel, even though the two countries had no diplomatic relations. [14]
In October 2007, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid Alkhalifa held a meeting with the American Jewish Committee where he said "Palestinian refugees should return to Palestine". In the same month during the General Assembly of the UN, he met with then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni drawing heavy criticism from the Bahraini parliament. [15]
In 2011, amid Arab spring uprising, Wikileaks cables published on Haaretz revealed some of the hidden relations between Bahraini and Israeli officials. In a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in February 2005, Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had bragged about having contact with Israel's national intelligence agency, Mossad. He indicated that Bahrain is ready to develop relations in other fields as well. The king reportedly gave orders that official statements don't use phrases such as "enemy" and "Zionist entity" when referring to Israel anymore. However, he refused the idea of having trade relations, saying it was "too early" and would be postponed until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. [16]
Following a video of a ceremony to mark the Jewish Hanukkah holiday hosted by Bahrain that went viral in 2016, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, during an event hosted by Simon Wiesenthal Center on September 18, 2017, in Los Angeles, denounced the Arab League boycott of Israel and began normalizing relations following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of normalizing relations with the Arab world.[ citation needed ] In effect, it allows Bahraini citizens to visit Israel whenever its necessary. [17] If the two countries begin establishing diplomatic relations, Bahrain would be the fourth Arab country and the second Arab country in the Persian Gulf region to grant recognition to the State of Israel (the others being Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994 and the United Arab Emirates in 2020; the Palestinian National Authority in 1993 also recognized Israel).
In May 2018, Bahrain recognized Israel's right to exist. Manama authorities denied reports that this was due to tensions with Iran, and said the country remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative. [18]
In June 2019, six Israeli media outlets received formal invitations to cover the Israeli-Palestinian economic peace workshop in Bahrain. [19] In July 2019, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, met in the United States. [20] In October 2019, an Israeli official, Dana Benvenisti-Gabay, attended the "Working Group on Maritime and Aviation Security" in Manama, Bahrain. [21] In December 2019, Jerusalem chief rabbi, Shlomo Amar, visited Bahrain for an interfaith event. [22]
King Hamad told visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that his country is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state and dismissed Washington's push for Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel. [23] However, on 11 September 2020, it was announced that Bahrain and Israel had agreed to establish full diplomatic relations. [24] Remarking on the date of the announcement, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “There’s no more powerful response to the hatred that spawned 9/11.” [25] The agreement was signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington, D.C. [26] On 18 October 2020, an Israeli delegation led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat traveled to Manama, Bahrain, to sign a normalization declaration document. [27]
In March 2021, Bahrain appointed Khaled Yousif al-Jalahma as its first ambassador to Israel. He arrived in Israel to take up his post at the end of August 2021. [28] [29]
In September 2021, Israel opened a resident embassy in Manama. [30] In September 2023, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Manama and officially reopened Israel's new embassy to replace the first one. [31] [32]
On 2 November 2023, in view of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Bahrain said in a statement that the Israeli ambassador left Bahrain, that Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Israel, and suspended all economic relations with Israel, citing a "solid and historical stance that supports the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people." [33] [34] The statement was made by Bahrain's parliament and Israel said they had no knowledge of the decision. [35]
Bahrain plays a modest, moderating role in regional politics and adheres to the views of the Arab League on Middle East peace and Palestinian rights. Since achieving independence in 1971, Bahrain has maintained friendly relations with most of its neighbours and with the world community. It generally pursues a policy of close consultation with neighbouring states and works to narrow areas of disagreement.
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa is a Bahraini diplomat who served as Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 until January 2020. Khalid became only the second foreign minister in Bahrain's history after replacing Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa who then became Bahrain's deputy prime minister.
Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo served as the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2013. She was appointed to the position by decree of Foreign Affairs Minister Khaled Ben Ahmad Al-Khalifa. Nonoo is the first Jew, and third woman, to be appointed ambassador of Bahrain. She is also the first Jewish ambassador of any Middle Eastern Arab country, and the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States.
Bahraini Jews constitute one of the world's smallest Jewish communities, although its origins go back to late antiquity. Talmudic sources refer to ports and islands on the Persian Gulf, indicating that Jews may have already settled in this region. Arabic sources record Jews in the old capital of Bahrain, Hajar, at the time of the Islamic conquest in 630 C.E. In the 12th century, the Jewish traveler-adventurer Benjamin of Tudela mentions 500 Jews living in Qays, and 5,000 in Al-Qatîf, involved in pearl fishery. In the 19th century, there were Jewish merchants from Iraq, Persia, and India in Bahrain.
Bahrain and the United States have been allies since Bahrain's independence in 1971 and have maintained close relations with shared mutual interests across economic and geopolitical lines.
Bilateral relations exist between Bahrain and Russia.
Extremely strong and cordial relations exist between Bahrain and Pakistan. Bahrain maintains an embassy in Islamabad and a Consulate-General in Karachi, whilst Pakistan maintains an embassy in Manama. Both countries are members of the OIC and of the G 77.
Political, socio-economic, military and cultural ties exist between India and Bahrain. India is a close ally of Bahrain. As per Indian officials, the Kingdom along with its GCC partners are amongst the world's most prominent supporters of India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and Bahraini officials have urged India to play a greater role in international affairs. For instance, over concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, Bahrain's Crown Prince requested India to play an active role in resolving the crisis.
Israel–United Arab Emirates relations had been jagged and fueled by mutual distrust and hatred for several decades, but in the 2010s, the countries' informal relations improved considerably and they began engaging in extensive unofficial cooperation based on their joint opposition to Iran's nuclear program and regional influence. In 2015, Israel opened an official diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is a Bahraini engineer and retired lieutenant general. He is the foreign minister, having formerly been the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1 April 2011 to February 2020. He was the fifth GCC secretary general and the first with military background since the GCC was established.
Bilateral relations exist between the countries of Bahrain and Iran. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, relations between the two countries have been strained over various geopolitical issues such as the interpretations of Islam, aspirations for leadership of the Islamic world, and relations with the United States, Europe, and other Western countries. In addition, Iran has been severely critical of Bahrain for hosting the United States Fifth Fleet within the Persian Gulf at the Naval Support Activity Bahrain base.
Historic and current bilateral relationship exist between Bahrain and Japan. Diplomatic relations were first established in 1972, and since then they have had increasing economic, cultural, and military cooperation, with Japan becoming one of the major trading partners of Bahrain. Several high-level official visits have taken place, including by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to Japan in 2012, Crown Prince Salman in 2013, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Bahrain in 2013, with the governments of both countries expressing their intent to continue to increase their bilateral relations.
The Arab–Israeli alliance, sometimes called the Israeli–Sunni alliance, refers to an unofficial security coalition comprising Israel and various Arab countries. Formed in the interest of the Gulf Cooperation Council, it is primarily focused on deterring the political and military ambitions of Iran, and has been actively promoted by the United States since the February 2019 Warsaw conference.
The Israel–United Arab Emirates normalization agreement, officially the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement: Treaty of Peace, Diplomatic Relations and Full Normalization Between the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel, was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords. The UAE thus became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel, as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so. Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank. The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries. The agreement was signed at the White House on September 15, 2020. It was approved unanimously by the Israeli cabinet on October 12 and was ratified by the Knesset on October 15. The UAE parliament and cabinet ratified the agreement on October 19. The agreement went into effect on January 5, 2021.
The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the initial announcement of August 13, 2020, concerned only Israel and the United Arab Emirates before the announcement of a follow-up agreement between Israel and Bahrain on September 11, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the official signing ceremony for the first iteration of the Abraham Accords was hosted by the Trump administration at the White House. As part of the dual agreements, both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognized Israel's sovereignty, enabling the establishment of full diplomatic relations.
The Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement, officially Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations, is an agreement to normalize diplomatic and other relations between Bahrain and Israel. The agreement was announced by President Donald Trump on September 11, 2020, and followed on from a joint statement, officially referred to as the Abraham Accords, by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020. It was formally signed on September 15, 2020, at the White House in Washington, D.C., and made Bahrain the fourth Arab state to recognize Israel and the second within a month.
Political and economic relations exist between the State of Palestine and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The State of Palestine has an embassy in Manama. But Bahrain does not have a representative office or embassy in the State of Palestine. The two countries form part of the Middle East region and share strong and similar cultural ties together. Hundreds of Palestinians reside in Bahrain to live and work.
The Israel–Sudan normalization agreement is an agreement that took place on October 23, 2020, whereby Israel and Sudan agreed that they will normalize relations. It is not clear if the deal establishes full diplomatic relations between the two nations. According to Axios reporting on March 10, 2021, "While Israel has presented Sudan with a draft agreement for establishing diplomatic relations, the Sudanese want an endorsement from the Biden administration." The agreement came after the agreements of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed with Israel in September 2020. Unlike the latter two, Sudan had sent troops to fight against Israel in major Arab-Israeli wars and considered Israel an enemy state.
Sharaka is a non-profit and non-governmental organization established in 2020 by people from Israel, The United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain after the signing of The Abraham Accords. The stated mission of the organization is to develop bonds between young Israeli and Gulf leaders, in order to strengthen peace, trust, and cooperation between the respective societies. The organization presently has three operational divisions located in Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.