Israel foreign minister Yair Lapid to make landmark Bahrain visit

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Bahrain on Thursday, in the first official trip by an Israeli cabinet minister to the Gulf state, following a US-brokered normalization accord agreed a year ago.

A foreign ministry statement said Lapid, who had been invited by his Bahraini counter-part, will inaugurate the Israeli embassy in Manama and is “expected to sign a list of bilateral agreements.”

“This will be the first official visit by an Israeli minister to (Bahrain),” the statement said.

Following negotiations spearheaded by former US president Donald Trump, the United Arab Emirates, followed quickly by Bahrain and Morocco, last year became the first Arab states in decades to normalize relations with Israel.

The Jewish state had earlier reached peace treaties with neighboring Egypt and Jordan.

Since the normalization agreements, known as the Abraham Accords, were signed, ties have expanded between Israel and its new Gulf partners, notably including direct flights and economic deals.

Lapid is the main architect of the Israeli coalition government that ousted ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed the Abraham Accords.

Lapid has visited UAE and Morocco since becoming foreign minister in June.