United Arab Emirates and Bahrain sent congratulations to Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid on the formation of a new government in Israel.
By United with Israel Staff
Demonstrating that the Abraham Accords will endure beyond the tenures of former leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain congratulated Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on forming a new government.
Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who also serves as the Persian Gulf state’s prime minister, tweeted his congratulations to Israel’s new leaders, saying, “I offer congratulations to @naftalibennett and @yairlapid on the formation of a new Government in #Israel, and look forward to continuing efforts towards greater prosperity, stability and peace in the region.”
A pair of tweets from the UAE foreign ministry echoed Prince Salman’s, saying, “The #UAE congratulates Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on the formation of a new #Israeli government,” and “We look forward to working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment.”
We look forward to working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment.
— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) June 14, 2021
Among the Israeli dignitaries who have visited the Gulf states since the Abraham Accords were signed was former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who was Netanyahu’s preferred emissary to the Gulf states.
It’s now predicted that Lapid will eventually lead the first high-profile Israeli visit to the Persian Gulf.
In his first visit to the Israeli Foreign Ministry headquarters as foreign minister, Lapid stressed that his diplomatic priorities included strengthening relations with all the Arab states with which Israel has formal ties. Israel followed up on the Abraham Accords by signing U.S.-brokered peace treaties with Morocco and Sudan. Israel also has ties with Jordan and Egypt.
Israeli media reports say that Israel, Bahrain and the UAE are discussing plans to celebrate the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords in August.