Bahrain became the latest Arab country to join in a peace deal with Israel.
President Trump announced the deal on Friday, the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, following a three-way call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al Khalifa. The three leaders issued a joint statement that Trump shared on Twitter in the afternoon.
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“This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East,” the statement read. “Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region.”
The statement commended Trump for his “unique approach” in bringing the two nations together. The announcement comes one week after Trump celebrated a similar peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020
“King Hamad and Prime Minister Netanyahu express their deep appreciation to President Trump for his dedication to peace in the region, his focus on shared challenges, and the pragmatic and unique approach he has taken to bring their nations together,” it continued.
Netanyahu celebrated the announcement and said it makes a ”new era of peace” in the region.
“For many long years, we invested in peace, and now, peace will invest in us, will bring about truly major investments in Israel’s economy — and that is very important,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with King Hamad last week, and his wife and fellow White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, shared a celebratory image of the pair after the announcement of the deal.
Last week Jared met King Hamad al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman, a beautiful foreshadowing of today’s historic peace deal between Israel & Bahrain, establishing FULL diplomatic relations. ?? ?? ??
This is the 2nd agreement between Israel & an Arab nation in the past month. ? pic.twitter.com/PrwjV50F3B
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 11, 2020
At an Oval Office news conference following the announcement, Kushner thanked Trump for following through on the promises he made during a trip to Saudi Arabia in the early part of his term.
“I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue,” Kushner said. “Your first foreign trip was to Saudi Arabia, where you outlined a vision for the region, and all of the promises you made on that trip and all of the things that you foreshadowed have occurred.”
Trump recently promised that more Middle Eastern nations will agree to normalize relations with Israel in the coming months.
The president said during the White House news conference on Friday that he feels something “very positive” could happen with Iran. “I can see a lot of good things happening with respect to the Palestinians,” he added.
