“Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry approved the request it had received from the General Civil Aviation Authority in the United Arab Emirates in this regard,” the statement said.

There are no official diplomatic relations between Bahrein and the zionist occupation regime at the moment. However, the foreign minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been quoted saying “Israel is part of this heritage of this whole region, historically. So, the Jewish people have a place amongst us.”

If the two countries begin establishing diplomatic relations, Bahrain would be the fourth Arab country and the second Arab country in the Persian Gulf region to grant recognition to the State of Israel (the others being Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994 and the United Arab Emirates in 2020; the Palestinian National Authority in 1993 also recognized Israel). (ILKHA)