Israel, Bahrain Sign ‘Historic’ Security Deal

Israel and Bahrain signed a security agreement on Thursday during a two-day visit by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to the Gulf Arab country. Gantz landed in Manama on Wednesday, about a year after Israel and Bahrain normalized their relations, for a previously unannounced first visit by an Israeli defense minister. At a meeting with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in the royal palace, Gantz and his Bahraini counterpart, Lt. Gen. Abdullah Bin Hassan Al Noaimi, signed a security memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries. The MoU “will support any future cooperation in the areas of intelligence, mil-to-mil, industrial collaboration and more,” the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement. “We are building on the groundbreaking Abraham Accords and deepening ties between our nations. Only one year following the signing of the Accords, we have achieved an important defense agreement, which will contribute to the security of both countries and the stability of the region,” Gantz said, hailing the “historic” MoU as reaching “new heights” in Israel-Bahrain relations. In September 2021, Bahrain’s first ambassador to Israel presented his credentials to the Israeli president. Days later, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flew to Manama to open the Israeli Embassy there.