Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had accepted an invitation from Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalif to travel to Bahrain, two months after the countries signed a normalisation agreement.
Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that he had a `very friendly’ second conversation with the crown prince.
“Both of us are very moved by the fact that we can bring peace to our peoples and our countries in a very short time.
“Therefore, he also invited me to make an official visit to Bahrain soon. I will do so, on your behalf, with pleasure,’’ the prime minister said.
Netanyahu’s announcement came after a high-level Bahraini delegation headed by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani visited Israel last week.
Israeli and Bahraini leaders said during the visit that they were seeking to open embassies in each other’s countries by the end of the year.
Israeli news outlets on Monday reported that Netanyahu made a secret trip to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, however, denied a meeting like that had held.
“No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi,’’ he said.
Saudi Arabia has reacted with caution to Israel’s establishment of diplomatic ties with its much smaller neighbours – Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The newly allied countries share a common enemy in Iran, which they see as the biggest threat to peace in the region.
Saudi Arabia is a traditional Sunni rival to Shiite Iran.
dpa/NAN
