Israel Begins Ratifying Normalization with Bahrain

The Israeli government on Sunday approved the normalization of relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced last month by US President Donald Trump. The decision is expected to be ratified next week in parliament, just as a similar pact with the United Arab Emirates was ratified last week. The vote was nearly unanimous, with only members of the Joint List, which chiefly represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, opposing the deal and decrying its implications for the Palestinian cause. Both Gulf nations during a celebratory White House ceremony in September signed agreements to normalize diplomatic and trade relations with the Jewish state. Over the weekend, a third country joined the growing list, with Sudan announcing it was ready to strike a deal after the Trump Administration removed it from the US State Department’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list.