Hyderabad: The treatment of the Bahraini Princess in Israel opened the gate to normalise relations between the two countries. Both countries on Sunday agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations, making the small Gulf country the fourth Arab state to normalize ties with Israel.
Princess Fatima bint Khalifa's treatment in 2010 in Israel paved the way to normalise relations between the two countries, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.
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"I believed in 2010 that we had an opportunity to [have] good relations with the Gulf states. This was the beginning of the process. She was very sick” and believed that she could be treated in Israel. The entire incident was “very discreet” known only to the princess, her husband, himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," The Jerusalem Post quoted Israel's former communication minister Ayoub Kara as saying.
On Sunday, Israel and Bahrain established formal diplomatic relations. The US-brokered agreement capped a one-day visit by a high-level delegation of American and Israeli officials to Bahrain. Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates at a festive White House ceremony last month marking the Abraham Accords, a pair of U.S.-brokered diplomatic pacts with Israel.
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While the UAE's deal with Israel formally established ties, the agreement with Bahrain was less detailed and included a mutual pledge to follow suit. Sunday's visit appeared to complete that task, clearing the way for the countries to open embassies and exchange ambassadors in the coming months.
It was indeed a historic visit, to start opening relations between both countries, to have fruitful bilateral relations in both fields, said Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif al-Zayani, at the signing ceremony.U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser, Meir Ben-Shabbat, led the delegations.
