MANAMA: Two new flights will operate between Bahrain and Israel starting next month on Israeli airlines.
This adds to the existing two-flights-a-week on Gulf Air from the kingdom to Tel Aviv.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed the details yesterday at a key conference held at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.
He was speaking in the presence of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Alzayani, Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Ayman Almoayyed, diplomats, ambassadors and other dignitaries.
“I have come here to talk about the future, your future, my people’s future – our shared future,” said Mr Bennett.
“A future that chooses co-operation over conflict, hope over hostility, and friendship over fear.
“Religion in the Middle East no longer needs to be defined by brutality and extremism.
“For the like-minded leaders of the Abraham Accords, our faith was the glue that healed the wounds of our past – and strengthened the connection between us.”
Prime Minister Bennett invited all Bahrainis to visit Israel and praised future co-operation between both nations in various sectors such as tourism and technology.
The Israeli leader later met a group of Bahraini youth. The meeting was attended by Mr Alzayani, Mr Almoayed, the director general of the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet secretary general Hamad bin Faisal Al Malki, Bahrain’s Ambassador to Israel Khalid Yusuf Al Jalahma and Israeli Ambassador to Bahrain Eitan Na’eh.
The Israeli Premier expressed happiness over meeting promising Bahraini youth to further deepen the principles of peace and openness.
He affirmed that the meeting contributes to the idea of peace as a strategic choice to all peoples, to achieve prosperity and stability for all.
He said knowledge is the pathway towards progress, and Israel’s keenness on investing in education and the youth has laid the foundation for its scientific and technological advancement.
Mr Bennett urged Bahraini students to carry forth in the process of education and positive engagement with modern technology, while welcoming the exchange between youth delegations from both countries as a means towards strengthening the bilateral ties.
In the presence of Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, the Israeli Prime Minister was also briefed, through a presentation by Economic Development Board (EDB) chief executive Khalid Humaidan, on EDB, its plans and work mechanisms to achieve the goals of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
The presentation also highlighted the board’s strategies to attract more direct investments to the kingdom, particularly in financial technology, digital banking services, e-commerce and information technology. The meeting also shed light on ways to boost relations between Bahrain and Israel in the investment field.
The Foreign Minister in a Press statement praised the official visit of the Israeli Prime Minister to Bahrain.
“This historic first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister is a further milestone in the ties between the two countries, and will further deepen and strengthen our co-operation while advancing our shared goals of security, stability and prosperity for our peoples and the wider region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bahrain and Israel yesterday signed a number of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on the sidelines of Prime Minister Bennett’s visit:
l Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh signed an MoU with her Israeli counterpart to enhance co-operation in combating pandemics, crisis management, medical and pharmacological systems, medical education and training, data protection in the health and medical fields, along with the exchange of expertise, and establishing wideranging joint health projects.
l Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Alzayani signed an MoU with Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Orit FarkashHacohen to enhance co-operation in the fields of research, development and technological innovation. The agreement covers the kingdom’s strategic priorities in the industrial field, including carbon capture, energy efficiency, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce.
l Bahrain Airport Company held discussions with Malca-Amit, Israel’s leading valuable goods shipping and logistics company, on the design and operation of a warehouse at Bahrain International Airport’s (BIA) Express Air Cargo Village. The talks are in line with plans to develop the airport’s cargo area in support of a comprehensive strategy to transform Bahrain’s logistics and air freight sectors into one of Bahrain’s key industries.
BIA’s 25,000sqm Express Air Cargo Village is a sophisticated logistics platform that provides a one-stop-shop for express cargo operators, each of which will have their own premises within the facility. This will enable BIA to handle larger volumes of cargo more efficiently, better catering to express cargo customers’ needs and creating new job opportunities.
l Bahrain Institute for Pearls and Gemstones (Danat) CEO Noora Abdulrahman Jamsheer signed an MoU with Malca-Amit to co-operate in the fields of transporting and storing luxury goods.
l National Communications Centre chief executive Yousif Mohammed Al Binkhalil signed an MoU with i24NEWS CEO Frank Melloul to boost co-operation in the exchange of news and media content, as well as broadcast technology.
l Representatives from the kingdom’s health and medical education sectors met with their counterparts from the Khan Sagol Maccabi Research and Innovation Centre.
Talks focused on deepening ties in the field of medical research and big data, with the intention of further enhancing research and development, while exploring means of establishing joint publications in the medical and health fields.
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