Prime Minister Naftali Bennett departed Monday afternoon for a historic visit to Bahrain, the first such visit of an Israeli prime minister to the kingdom.
"I am now taking off for Bahrain, for the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister in the kingdom. This is an exciting event," Bennett said,
"I am going to meet the king, the crown prince and hold a series of meetings, the purpose of which is to pour content and energy into the peace between the two countries. I think that during this turbulent period, it is important that a message of cooperation, of goodwill, of standing together in the face of threats and of building bridges for peace emanate from our region," he added.
The Prime Minister also addressed the firebombing of a Jewish home in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood of Jerusalem over the weekend.
"The situation of arson of Jewish homes in the capital of Israel is unacceptable. Therefore, I can tell you that already now the Israel Police is increasing the level of security and it will take care to secure all residents of the city even in sensitive neighborhoods - this is a process that is already happening. But, we do not need provocateurs to come to enflame the area just for political purposes. We do not need - either Ofer Kasif, or Ben- Gvir nor Tibi - to run Jerusalem for us. We will take care of this and bring stability and security to the residents of the city. That is the job of the Israeli government and not of anyone else."
Bennett is scheduled to arrive in Bahrain Monday evening, and is slated to meet both the Crown Prince and the King of Bahrain during his two-day visit.
Following Bennett’s arrival Monday evening, the prime minister will meet Tuesday morning with leaders of the local Jewish community.
Afterwards, Bennett is slated to meet with senior Bahraini government ministers.
In the afternoon, the prime minister will be received by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa at his private palace, followed by a closed-door meeting and family lunch.
After lunch with the Crown Prince, Bennett will meet with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the royal palace, before giving a speech to honor students.
King Al Khalifa and Bennett met previously at the United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow Scotland last year.
Bennett is then slated to depart from Bahrain Tuesday night, returning to Israel after midnight.
Israel National News will be reporting on location to cover the prime minister’s visit.
Bahrain and Israel agreed to normalize relations as part of the Abraham Accords in September, 2020.
In March 2021, Bahrain appointed its first ambassador to the Jewish state.