Israel’s prime minister met with Bahrain’s crown prince on Tuesday as the brand new allies sought to nurture nearer cooperation and current a united entrance to their shared nemesis Iran.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was making a one-day go to to the Gulf island kingdom, the primary by an Israeli chief, lower than two years after the nations established formal diplomatic relations as a part of the US-brokered “Abraham Accords.” Bennett was greeted by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, who additionally serves as the dominion’s prime minister, and a army coloration guard at Manama’s Gudaibiya Palace.
He informed the crown prince that he got here “with a spirit of goodwill, of cooperation, of standing together against mutual challenges.” Bennett additionally met with a number of authorities ministers and mentioned the necessity for higher financial cooperation.
“We must do more to get to know one another and build upon the Abraham Accords, which have been such a historic agreement,” the crown prince mentioned.
In latest months, as tensions with Iran have soured, the 2 nations have intensified army cooperation. Early this month, they signed a protection pact, and final week, Bahrain introduced that an Israeli naval officer could be stationed in Manama, which can also be residence to the US Navy’s fifth Fleet.
The Israeli army confirmed it is going to have a naval consultant hooked up to the fifth fleet. Bennett met with the fleet commander, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, throughout his cease in Manama.
Bennett’s workplace mentioned the fleet “is a significant element in maintaining regional stability in the face of various security threats.” It didn’t point out Iran particularly. But Israel has made no secret of its issues about Iranian naval actions throughout the area.
Israel has stepped up its naval presence within the Red Sea after a collection of assaults on business ships with hyperlinks to Israel, which it blamed on Iran.
Earlier this month Israeli ships took half in a large naval train within the Gulf, which included ships from Oman and Saudi Arabia, with whom Israel doesn’t have formal diplomatic ties. Israeli warships additionally participated in US-led naval drills with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain within the Red Sea in November.
Israel and Bahrain established formal diplomatic ties after years of clandestine safety cooperation over their shared enmity of Bahrain’s neighbour, Iran. Israel and Bahrain have exchanged ambassadors and signed commerce and protection agreements since they signed a normalization settlement on the White House garden, alongside the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco, in September 2020.
Bennett’s go to got here as negotiations between world powers and Iran to achieve a global settlement to curb Tehran’s nuclear program continued in Vienna.
Israel has mentioned it could not be certain by any such settlement and that it could take no matter motion needed, together with a army strike, to forestall Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceable functions.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
