Israeli defense chief arrives in Bahrain on an unannounced visit

Middle East, News February 3, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz arrived in Manama on a surprise two-day visit to sign a security cooperation agreement with Bahrain.

Defense Minister Gantz posted on his Twitter that he was welcomed by Bahrain’s Defense Minister, and wrote: “Honored to be here and looking forward to meeting the Kingdom’s leaders.”

According to Gantz, he would sign a security cooperation agreement with Bahrain, which along with the UAE normalized relations with Israel after signing the diplomatic normalization accords in 2020.

The Israeli defense chief arrived in Bahrain on an Israeli Air Force transport aircraft. It was the first time that an Israeli Israeli military plane had landed in the Gulf nation or that a defense minister had visited there.

*^{Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz is greeted by a Bahrain military official during an official visit at Bahrain International Airport (Image Credit: @gantzbe/Twitter/Elad Malka)}*

A day earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that he is planning to send the USS Cole guided-missile destroyer and stealth fighter jets to support the United Arab Emirates amid recent missile attacks by the Yemen-based Houthi rebel group that has conducted three missile and drone attacks on the UAE since January 17.

Israel is also participating in a U.S.-led naval exercise, called the International Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMX 22), in the Middle East. About 60 countries are taking part in the IMX 22 amid increasing tensions after the Houthi-led missile attacks on the UAE.

This is the first time Israel is publicly joining Oman and Saudi Arabia in naval exercises since the two countries have no diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Israeli defense minister’s visit comes days after the Amnesty International report labeled Israel as an “apartheid regime” on accounts of its “oppression and domination” against the Palestinian Arab population.

ALSO READ: Amnesty International Report declares Israel as an “Apartheid State”

The Amnesty International report called on the U.S., EU members, and Arab states to recognize that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid and “use all political and diplomatic tools to ensure Israeli authorities implement the recommendations outlined in the Amnesty report and review any cooperation and activities with Israel to ensure that these do not contribute to maintaining the system of apartheid.”

The report also urged the international community to suspend the supply, sale, or transfer of “all weapons, munitions, and other military and security equipment, including the provision of training and other military and security assistance.”