Bahrain, Israel Defense Ministers Hold 1st Phone Call

Bahraini state news agency BNA and a spokeswoman for Israel’s defense ministry said Bahrain’s minister of defense affairs, Abdulla bin Hassan Al-Nuaimi, and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had spoken as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates prepare to sign agreements with Israel in Washington on Tuesday.

The ministers discussed the importance of the agreement for “regional stability” and “common expectations for establishing a close partnership between the two defense ministries,” the BNA statement said.

Gantz invited the Bahraini minister to make an official visit to Tel Aviv, and the two agreed to continue their dialogue, a statement from Gantz’s office said.

On Monday, BNA said Bahrain’s industry and trade minister and Israel’s regional cooperation minister had spoken by phone and discussed trade, industry and tourism cooperation.

Normalization will “positively impact our economies”, the report said.