Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved Israel’s normalization agreement with Bahrain Sunday, following its previous normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates which was also ratified by the cabinet on Sunday.
The agreement, officially called the Abraham Accords: Declaration of Peace, Cooperation, and Constructive Diplomatic and Friendly Relations, was first signed at the White House in September, where the UAE also established formal ties with Israel. The agreements with Bahrain and the UAE stem from concerns about Iran as a threat to the region.
“Today we are expanding the circle of peace,” Netanyahu tweeted. “Additional countries will yet join only if we consistently adhere to this policy. It has brought us results that we could only dream about, and I dream about much more.”
Bahrain is now the fourth Arab state to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, following the UAE, Jordan and Egypt. Sudan also agreed to normalize relations with Israel on Sunday, President Donald Trump announced. “And today Khartoum says–yes to peace with Israel, yes to recognition of Israel and yes to normalization with Israel,” Netanyahu tweeted.
The Bahrain agreement will require ratification by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, before it is finalized. A Knesset spokesperson said a date has not been set on the vote to ratify it.
Netanyahu said Israel is also working on a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, though no date or deal has been determined.