by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Greeted with a warm welcome and the Israeli national anthem played at the palace of Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli prime minister to visit Bahrain.
The historic visit is believed to usher the bilateral ties into a new era. The trip is amid heightened regional tensions, and also coincides with negotiations in Vienna between Iran and world powers over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
Bennett also met with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and other senior officials.
"The meetings have contributed to strengthening relations between both states and their governments," read a joint statement by the leaders of both countries. "They also presented an opportunity to enhance cooperation between the peoples of both nations in social, economic and security matters."
Israel and Bahrain agreed to establish diplomatic relations in September 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements sponsored by the United States between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Bennett's visit to Manama, the capital of Bahrain, came two months after his first official visit to the UAE.
Relations between Israel and the signatories to the Abraham Accords have been steadily advancing. As cooperation in security, technology, agriculture, and business ventures fledged, bilateral relations are being cemented.
"Our goal in this visit is to turn it from government-to-government to people-to-people peace, and to convert it from ceremonies to substance," Bennett said when meeting with his Bahraini counterpart.
The two governments agree on a ten-year plan called the "Joint Warm Peace Strategy," aiming at promoting exchanges in innovation, healthcare and education.
"The relations need to be strengthened on business, economic and social levels," said Nirit Ofir from the department of Middle Eastern Studies at Bar Ilan University.
"Nothing can be taken for granted, not everything is rosy," he said.
Ofir is referring to demonstrations throughout Bahrain ahead of Bennett's visit. Videos on social media showed a small number of protesters burning Israeli flags. Such demonstrations also occurred last year when Israel opened its embassy in Manama.
The Bahraini population is divided between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, explaining the differing attitudes towards relations to the Jewish state. There is also a minuscule Jewish community in Bahrain.
"Most of the Bahraini population welcomes the normalization," said Ofir, who also serves as Director-General of Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Israel-Gulf Countries. "But the cultural gap between Israel and the Gulf states still need to be bridged."
The visit comes two weeks after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Bahrain. During the visit, a historic defense Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, formalizing the defense relations between the two countries. Media reports in Israel predicted the Israeli army would station a defense attache in Manama in the near future, marking another possible "historic first."
"Bahrain is stretching the boundaries and creating precedents with Israel in terms of defense cooperation," said Moran Zaga, an expert on the Gulf States at the University of Haifa and Mitvim.
Israel and Bahrain share a similar stance towards Iran. Iran's nuclear activities are even more concerning for the Gulf states due to their close proximity.
"Israel is another option for Bahrain as a regional ally," she said, adding that "the day when Israel stations a warship on the coast of Bahrain is not far."
In recent days, several media outlets reported that the U.S. Navy is considering posting Israeli unmanned boats as part of its operations in the Gulf. The move would signal increasing Israeli presence in the region and further put Israel at Iran's doorstep.
During his visit to Bahrain, Bennett also met with U.S. Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper.
"There is a promise of military cooperation between Israel and Bahrain," said Ofir. "It still remains to be seen how tolerant Iran will be towards these moves."
As the United States continues to send mixed signals about its Middle East involvement, regional actors are looking for alternative alliances.
Saudi Arabia and Israel are not yet close to normalizing relations, but it is difficult to envision such warming of ties is without the involvement of Saudi Arabia, which Bahrain is heavily dependent on.
"By hosting Bennett, the Gulf states are making a serious statement of intent about their relations with Israel," said Zaga. "These steps are difficult to retract and signal further association with Israel." ■
