Bahrain welcomes UAE-Israel deal as boosting peace

The Gulf state has also warmed towards Israel in recent years.

2 min read

13 August, 2020

Egypt has also voiced support for the agreement [Getty]

The Gulf Arab island-nation of Bahrain says it welcomes the deal reached between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to establish full diplomatic relations.

Bahrain congratulated the UAE and its leadership for reaching a deal that it said suspends Israeli annexation of Palestinian lands while "taking steps to enhance the chances for Middle East peace".

That's according to a statement in the state-run Bahrain News Agency on Thursday.

Bahrain, like the UAE, has long been eyeing ties with Israel and hosted a conference for the Trump administration aimed at rallying economic support for his Middle East plan unveiled last year.

Bahrain is the first Gulf Arab country to comment publicly on the UAE-Israel announcement.

Read more: From covert to overt: Warming relations between Bahrain and Israel no longer a secret

The Gulf state was one of a few Arab nations explicitly mentioned by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when discussing normalisation overtures at a Thursday press conference.

Egypt - the first Arab state to sign a peace agreement with Israel back in 1979 - also welcomed the pact on Thursday.

"I read with interest and great appreciation the joint statement between the United States, the brotherly United Arab Emirates and Israel concerning the halt of Israel's annexation of Palestinian land," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a tweet, adding that this would help bring "peace" to the Middle East.

"I appreciate the efforts of the architects of this agreement for the prosperity and stability of our region," Sisi said.

Jordan, the only other Arab nation to have signed a peace deal with Israel, has not yet commented on the accord.