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Bahrain ambassador to Israel presents credentials 

September 15, 2021 at 4:03 pm

Bahrain’s first-ever ambassador to Israel, Khaled Yousef Al-Jalahma, said yesterday that it was a “great honour” to present his credentials to President Isaac Herzog, the Times of Israel has reported. The ambassador also conveyed the personal greetings of Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa during the ceremony.

“Brave states take brave steps,” Herzog told Al-Jalahma. “The Abraham Accords were the fruit of both vision and power.”

In response, Al-Jalahma said that these are not only brave and historic steps. “These are giant steps into a future of peace, security, and prosperity for us all. I am confident that the Abraham Accords will forge a path and inspire all nations to strive for a better, more prosperous and secure world.”

Peace, he added, is the strategic choice of the Kingdom of Bahrain. “His Majesty the King believes that dialogue, understanding and confidence-building are lofty principles and main foundations for achieving cooperation between nations and peoples. I am confident that this historic step will lay a solid foundation for relations between our two countries, based on the values of tolerance and coexistence between peoples, beliefs and religions.”

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Al-Jalahma has served as the Director of Operations of the Bahrain Foreign Office since 2017. He was Deputy Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States between 2009 and 2013.

He wished Israel’s citizens “health, well-being, security, stability and prosperity,” and said that he would work to make relations beneficial for both nations.

The UAE and Bahrain normalised ties with Israel at a signing ceremony in Washington last September as part of the so-called “Abraham Accords“. The move was condemned by many people in the region, including Iran and its allies.

The Israeli president called the relationship “a model for the whole Middle East ” and expressed his hope that other countries will follow Bahrain’s example.