Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that within one month, Israel had obtained two historic peace agreements with two Arab countries, adding that the normalization agreement between Tel Aviv and Manama would allow direct flights from Israel to Bahrain.
Netanyahu added at the start of the weekly meeting of his government, that he had a conversation Friday with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and said, "It was a warm conversation where we agreed to establish a peace between Bahrain and Israel, a formal peace that includes full diplomatic relations."
"We are on the threshold of a new era, and this great enthusiasm that you see in Israel is also reflected with great enthusiasm in the UAE and Bahrain among the general public," he said, before leaving for Washington tonight to sign the peace agreement with both the Emirates and Bahrain.
The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that a phone call took place between Foreign Minister Abdul Latif Al-Zayani and his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi.
She added that the two ministers exchanged congratulations and cordial conversations during the call, on the occasion of the declaration of peace between Bahrain and Israel, which was announced in a phone call between the leaders of Bahrain, Israel and the United States.
She explained that the importance of advancing these relations in various fields was emphasized in the service of common interests and in a way that contributes to strengthening stability and peace in the region.
Local media belonging to the Bahraini opposition published photos of demonstrations against normalization (Al-Jazeera)
Bahraini opposition
On the other hand, local media affiliated with the Bahraini opposition published pictures of demonstrations that took place in the country against Manama’s decision to normalize relations with Tel Aviv, and the demonstrators raised signs that considered normalization to be treason and a crime, and chanted slogans in support of the Palestinian cause and condemning the United States and Israel.
For his part, the prominent Shiite cleric in Bahrain, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem - who is currently living abroad - said that he opposes normalization between Arab countries and Israel, and called on the peoples of the region to resist.
In a speech published by the dissolved Bahraini opposition Al-Wefaq Party, he said that the agreements reached by Israel with the UAE, Bahrain and any other following countries, contradict the will of the people.