Israel's Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, officially opened the country's permanent embassy in Bahrain. The inauguration took place during Cohen's visit to Bahrain, where he met

with Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Abdullatif Al Zayani, and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the Gudaibiya Palace in Manama.

Since 2021, Israel's embassy in Bahrain has been operating from a temporary office in the Bahrain World Trade Center, inaugurated by then-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

During his visit, Cohen and Al Zayani discussed increasing direct flights, promoting tourism, boosting trade volume, and enhancing investments between the two nations. They also addressed matters of regional security, strengthening bilateral relations, and expanding the normalization process between Israel and Arab states.

Cohen highlighted the progress achieved through the Abraham Accords, emphasizing that trade between the countries had doubled in the past year. He expressed optimism about further potential, considering the short flight distance of less than three hours between Israel and Bahrain.

Al Zayani emphasized that the embassy's inauguration symbolizes a shared commitment to security and prosperity for the entire region. He also reiterated the importance of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through a two-state solution, aligning with the Arab peace initiative.

Accompanied by a delegation of businessmen and government officials, Cohen's visit marked the first senior-level official visit to Bahrain since Prime Minister Netanyahu formed a new government the previous year.

The embassy inauguration coincides with the United States' efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, which currently includes Sudan, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Senior U.S. officials are expected to continue discussions in Riyadh this week regarding the potential for a Saudi-Israel normalization agreement. Photo by Jayson De Leon, Wikimedia commons.