Bahrain names Khaled Yousif Al-Jalahma as Manama's ambassador to Israel
Along with the UAE, Bahrain and Israel signed a historic normalization agreement in September
The Gulf Arab nation of Bahrain has named Khaled Yousif Al-Jalahma as its ambassador to Israel, according to the official Bahrain News Agency on Tuesday.
Israel said it accepted al-Jalahma's nomination for the post after Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Manam's top diplomat, Abd al-Latif al-Ziani, held a conversation on Sunday, and “relevant checks were made.”
“The decision of the Bahraini government to appoint an ambassador to Israel is another important step in the implementation of the peace agreement between and of the strengthening of ties between the two countries,” Ashkenazi told al-Ziani, according to an Israeli statement.
“In the coming weeks, a team from Bahrain will arrive in Israel to make the necessary arrangements,” the statement added.
Along with the UAE, Bahrain and Israel signed a historic normalization agreement, officially called the Abraham Accords, in Washington last September.
Brokered by the then-Trump administration, the agreement normalizes diplomatic relations and an exchange of ambassadors while also establishing direct flights between the two countries.
The accords also ensure cooperation in technology, health, and agriculture, among other areas.
In January, Sudan also joined the accords following a trip by then-US Secretary Treasury Steven Mnuchin while visiting the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.