US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s historic visit to Bahrain.
“This week’s visit by Prime Minister Bennett to Bahrain was another important step towards a better tomorrow for the Middle East. We welcome the momentous visit and look forward to building new partnerships together," tweeted Blinken.
Bennett and his entourage landed in Israel overnight Tuesday following the historic visit.
On Tuesday, Bennett met with Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa at his palace.
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said at the start of the meeting, "Peace should be the endeavor for all responsible peoples. Not that we have ever had a war but relations between our two countries were not at a level that could be construed as normal. And I think that if we see a wider Middle East that is free from conflict, that is based on principles of mutual respect, understanding, and sharing responsibility towards security, we must do more to get to know one another and build upon the Abraham Accords, which have been such an historic agreement."
"It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Kingdom of Bahrain. I feel very happy you are here and I look forward to all the wonderful things we will be able to do together as individuals and as peoples," he added.
Bennett said, "It has been a warm and generous reception and we're filled with a very unique hospitality of your people and of yourself. I view this as a very big opportunity. This is the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister in Bahrain."
"And I come from Israel with a spirit of good will, of cooperation, of standing together amidst mutual challenges and I think our goal in this visit is to turn it from government-to-government, to people-to-people peace and to convert it from ceremonies to substance.”
"We want to fill this relationship with substance in energy, in drive, in economy, in tourism and in the regional architecture. We spoke about opportunities where we can strengthen the bridge, and I really like the name Abraham Accords."
Bennett also spoke to Bahraini students during the visit and met with local Jewish community leaders.