Bahrain intends to launch a direct maritime line with Israel, in one of the steps to normalize relations between the two countries, after a similar step taken by the UAE, yesterday, Monday.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, on Tuesday, that the first Bahraini cargo ship will soon arrive from Khalifa bin Salman Port (in Bahrain) to Haifa Port.
It quoted Eidni Simkin, General Manager of a private Israeli shipping company "MSC Israel", that the senior officials in the field of ports and maritime navigation in Bahrain show great interest in strengthening cooperation with Israel.
In another development, it is expected that a joint Israeli-American delegation will head to Manama, next Sunday, to start drafting the terms of the normalization agreement between Bahrain and Israel, while the American delegation will return later to Tel Aviv with an Emirati delegation.
The Israeli "Walla" website reported that the visit comes at a request from Manama, which wants its relations with Israel to be subject to conditions similar to those included in the normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE.
The Israeli delegation will be headed by the Under Secretary of State and the Chargé d'Affairs of the Prime Minister’s Office. The US delegation will be headed by Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin and White House envoy to the Middle East Avi Berkovitch.
Emirati marine line
The UAE and Israel had launched, on Monday, a marine line with the arrival of an Emirati cargo ship to Haifa Port, directly, from Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, on Tuesday, that a new sea line will soon begin exporting Israeli products to UAE ports.
She added that Israel is discussing with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan the construction of a railway line.
To connect Haifa Port with the Emirates without further details.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced yesterday that an Emirati delegation will arrive in Israel next week, after an Israeli delegation visited Abu Dhabi last month.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said, on Tuesday, that the Emirati delegation will include the finance and economy ministers and other government officials.
She added that the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alon Auschwitz, will lead the Israeli delegation, which will soon travel to the UAE, to follow up talks on implementing the terms of the peace agreement signed between the two countries.
On Thursday, the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) will ratify the agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the UAE, which was signed on the 15th of last month in Washington.