海角大神

Bahrain has become the latest Arab nation to agree to normalize ties with Israel as part of a broader diplomatic push by United States President Donald Trump and his administration to fully integrate the Jewish state into the Middle East.

Mr. Trump announced the agreement on Friday, following a three-way phone call he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain鈥檚 King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The three leaders also issued a brief six-paragraph joint statement, attesting to the deal.

鈥淎nother HISTORIC breakthrough today!鈥� Mr. Trump tweeted.

The announcement on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks came less than a week before Mr. Trump hosts a White House ceremony to mark the establishment of full relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain鈥檚 foreign minister will attend the event.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no more powerful response to the hatred that spawned 9/11 than this agreement,鈥� Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House.

It represents another diplomatic win for Mr. Trump less than two months before the the presidential election and an opportunity to shore up support among pro-Israel evangelical 海角大神s. Just last week, Mr. Trump announced agreements in principle for Kosovo to recognize Israel and for Serbia to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

鈥淭his is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East,鈥� Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu and King Hamad said in the statement.

鈥淥pening 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.鈥�

Like the UAE agreement, Friday鈥檚 Bahrain-Israel deal will normalize diplomatic, commercial, security, and other relations between the two countries. Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia, had already dropped a prohibition on Israeli flights using its airspace. Saudi acquiescence to the agreements has been considered key to the deals.

Mr. Trump鈥檚 son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner noted that the agreement is the second Israel has reached with an Arab country in 30 days after having made peace with only two Arab nations 鈥� Egypt and Jordan 鈥� in 72 years of its independence.

鈥淭his is very fast,鈥� Mr. Kushner told The Associated Press. 鈥淭he region is responding very favorably to the UAE deal and hopefully it鈥檚 a sign that even more will come.鈥�

Mr. Netanyahu welcomed the agreement and thanked Mr. Trump. 鈥淚t took us 26 years between the second peace agreement with an Arab country and the third, but only 29 days between the third and the fourth, and there will be more,鈥� he said, referring to the 1994 peace treaty with Jordan and the more recent agreements.

The agreement will likely be seen as a further setback to the Palestinians who tried unsuccessfully to have the Arab League condemn normalization with Israel until they have secured an independent state. That was one of the few cards still held by Palestinians in negotiations as peace talks remain stalled.

The joint statement made passing mention of the Palestinians, saying the parties will continue efforts 鈥渢o achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to enable the Palestinian people to realize their full potential.鈥�

The agreement makes Bahrain the fourth Arab country, after Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE, to have full diplomatic ties with Israel. Other Arab nations believed to be on the cusp of fully recognizing Israel include Oman and Sudan. While tacitly blessing the deals, Saudi Arabia, the regional power player, is not expected to move as quickly.

Like the UAE, Bahrain has never fought a war against Israel and doesn鈥檛 share a border with it. But Bahrain, like most of the Arab world, long rejected diplomatic ties with Israel in the absence of a peace deal establishing a Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in 1967.

The agreement could give a boost to Mr. Netanyahu, who was indicted on corruption charges last year. Deals with Gulf Arab states 鈥渁re the direct result of the policy that I have led for two decades,鈥� namely 鈥減eace for peace, peace through strength,鈥� Mr. Netanyahu has said.

The Israeli-UAE deal required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians. Telephone calls soon began working between the nations as they continue to discuss other deals, including direct flights.

While the UAE鈥檚 population remains small and the federation has no tradition of standing up to the country鈥檚 autocracy, Bahrain represents a far-different country.

Just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, the island of Bahrain is among the world鈥檚 smallest countries, only about 290 square miles. Bahrain鈥檚 location in the Persian Gulf long has made it a trading stop and a naval defensive position. The island is home to the U.S. Navy鈥檚 5th Fleet and a recently built British naval base.

Bahrain is acutely aware of threats posed by Iran, an anxiety that comes from Bahrain鈥檚 majority Shiite population, despite being ruled since 1783 by the Sunni Al Khalifa family. Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had pushed to take over the island after the British left, though Bahrainis in 1970 overwhelmingly supported becoming an independent nation and the U.N. Security Council unanimously backed that.

Since Iran鈥檚 1979 Islamic Revolution, Bahrain鈥檚 rulers have blamed Iran for arming militants on the island. Iran denies the accusations, though weapons experts suggest explosives found there bear similarities to others linked to Iran. Israel and Iran view each other as top regional enemies.

Outside of those tensions, Bahrain鈥檚 Shiite majority has accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. The Shiites joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Arab Spring protests swept across the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the demonstrations.

In recent years, Bahrain has cracked down on all dissent, imprisoned activists and hampered independent reporting on the island. While the Obama administration halted the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain over human rights concerns, the Trump administration dropped that after coming into office.

Bahrain鈥檚 royal family and officials have come out in support of the Israel-UAE agreement. However, civil society groups and others have condemned the move and warned the monarchy not to follow in UAE鈥檚 footsteps 鈥� despite Bahrain鈥檚 years-long flirtation with Israel and Jewish leaders. Unlike the Emirates, Jews had a historical presence on the island and some still live there.

In 2017, two prominent U.S. rabbis said Bahrain鈥檚 king told them he hoped the Arab boycott of Israel would end. An interfaith group from Bahrain that year also visited Israel, though the state-run Bahrain News Agency later said that it didn鈥檛 鈥渞epresent any official entity鈥� after an uproar erupted on social media.

Bahrain has increasingly relied on support from other nations as it struggles with its debts, particularly neighboring Saudi Arabia. In that way, Bahrain has followed in lockstep with Riyadh, meaning any normalization with Israel likely got the kingdom鈥檚 approval, though, Saudi Arabia has for its part remained silent since the Emirati announcement.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Ilan Ben Zion and Joseph Krauss in Jerusalem contributed to this report.