Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalise relations with Israel on Friday, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran but one that could leave the Palestinians further isolated.
The announcements come at a politically opportune time for Trump, who is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden in national and key state polls as he continues to get poor marks from the public on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, announced the deal on Twitter on Friday after he spoke by phone to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This is truly a historic day,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying he believed other countries would follow suit.
“It’s unthinkable that this could happen and so fast.”
“Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region,” the US, Bahrain and Israel said in a joint statement.
THE KING of Bahrain reiterated the necessity of reaching a fair and lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians based on the two-state solution, in a call with Netanyahu and Trump, Bahrain’s state news agency BNA said on Friday.
