Manama trusts incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to preserve the peace with the Abraham Accords nations such as Bahrain, the country’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told reporters on Sunday.
“We trust the leadership of Netanyahu,” Al Zayani said. He did not appear phased by Netanyahu’s efforts to form a far right-government with politicians who want to create a situation of de facto annexation in the West Bank and to allow Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
Bahrain was one of four Arab nations that agreed to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 with the understanding that the Jewish state would suspend the annexation of West Bank settlements in exchange.
Netanyahu was the prime minister who oversaw that understanding and who together with Al Zayani signed normalization agreements in Washington that year based on that accord.
The historic moment
Sitting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama, Al Zayani recalled for reporters that historic moment.
“I met with his excellency Netanyahu at the White House on a very bright day, after a rainy day. The day itself was sending a great message, a bright day for a bright future, a future that started by signing the Abraham Accords,” Al Zayani reminisced.
He did not imagine, he said, that just over two years later Netanyahu would want to undermine those accords. Bahrain believes that Netanyahu “will make the interest of the Abraham Accords as a priority,” Al Zayani said.
“I really look forward to working with Netanyahu’s government to further develop on the successful achievement that we have [accomplished] together to strengthen the peace and to work together to send the message of how the message of ensuring benefits of the peace can widen the circle of peace,” he said.
Al Zayani spoke during a visit to Bahrain by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.