Israel, Bahrain announce peace deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Friday that Israel has reached a peace agreement with Bahrain, reported Xinhua.

The agreement was announced simultaneously by Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. A joint statement of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Netanyahu and Trump was released by the White House hailing the "historic breakthrough."

The announcement comes just days before Israel is to sign an accord with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the White House. A representative of Bahrain is also expected to attend the signing.

"This is a new era of peace," Netanyahu said in the statement. "These agreements come after years of concerted work behind the scenes."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a statement that the relations between Israel and Bahrain are "strategically and economically significant".

"We can continue combining our efforts to preserve regional stability and achieve accomplishments for both of our countries and for the welfare of our citizens," said Ashkenazi.

The deal is expected to normalize diplomatic, commercial, security and other relations between Israel and Bahrain. It makes Bahrain the fourth Arab country to have a peace deal with Israel after Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.

The agreement with Bahrain and the previous one with the UAE are seen as part of Trump's push to improve Israel's international standing and its position in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Bahrain also announced on Friday the normalization of ties with Israel, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Israel in a joint statement.

The king reiterated the necessity of reaching a fair and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the two-state solution.

The joint statement said Bahrain has accepted Trump's invitation to join Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the signing ceremony of a peace deal next week in the White House.

Bahrain is the second Gulf country to normalize ties with Israel after the UAE.