Abraham Accords and normalization · 15 September 2020 – 18 October 2020

Israel–Bahrain normalization agreement

Two documents: a bilateral declaration with no ratification clause, followed by a joint communiqué that actually established relations and was described as a framework agreement. There is no detailed treaty like the one with the UAE, and the two states were not at war.

In 30 seconds

On 15 September 2020 Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani signed a declaration at the White House, and Trump signed as witness². On 18 October a joint communiqué establishing relations was signed in Manama³. The relations continue, but have been badly damaged since the war in Gaza.

Where it stands today

As of October 2026 relations have not been cut: a new Israeli ambassador presented his credentials in Manama in August 2025 and met the crown prince in December 2025⁶⁷. On the other side, Bahrain's ambassador was recalled in November 2023 and in April 2025 was moved to another post with no successor named⁴; the site found no report of an appointment since.

Benjamin Netanyahu during joint remarks with Pompeo and Al Zayani in Jerusalem, November 2020 · State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha / Public Domain

In one sentence

To establish full diplomatic relations between Israel and a small Gulf kingdom, following the UAE.

The challenge

Bahrain is a small Gulf kingdom that never fought Israel. It followed the UAE: normalization was announced on 11 September 2020, four days before the ceremony in Washington¹.

Inside Bahrain there was opposition from the first day. A senior Shia cleric, the dissolved opposition society Al-Wefaq, the bar association and civil society associations rejected the move¹.

The road there

11 September 2020Normalization between Israel and Bahrain is announced¹.
15 September 2020The declaration is signed at the White House².
18 October 2020In Manama Meir Ben-Shabbat and Al Zayani sign the joint communiqué establishing relations³.
10 November 2020The Knesset approves the joint communiqué: 62 in favour, 14 against³.
August 2021Bahrain's first ambassador to Israel, Khaled Yousef Al Jalahma, takes up his post⁴.
2 November 2023Bahrain's elected lower house announces that the Israeli ambassador has left and the Bahraini ambassador has been recalled⁵.
8 April 2025A royal decree moves Al Jalahma to a post in the foreign ministry; no successor is named⁴.
August 2025Israel's new ambassador, Shmuel Revel, presents his credentials to Foreign Minister Al Zayani⁶.

The people

Led: Benjamin Netanyahu · King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Signed: Benjamin Netanyahu · Abdullatif Al Zayani · Meir Ben-Shabbat
Mediated: Donald Trump
Witnessed: Donald Trump
Hosted: Donald Trump

What was agreed

The declaration: full diplomatic relations and reciprocal embassies².
Promoting lasting security and refraining from threats and the use of force².
Future agreements on investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, health, culture and the environment².
The Palestinians: one general sentence on continuing efforts toward a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict².
The joint communiqué: mutual recognition of sovereignty and of the right to live in peace and security, and peaceful settlement of disputes³.

Read the document

The geography

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Layers · Legend

Place names

Peace treaty in force
Normalization (Abraham Accords)
Announced, not concluded
Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

Israel
Peace treaty in force
Normalization (Abraham Accords)
Announced, not concluded
Interim agreements, no permanent settlement
Ceasefires and talks, no peace treaty
No relations; Arab Peace Initiative on the table

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

Opposition bodies and civil society groups in Bahrain said the move had no popular support¹.
In the Knesset 14 members voted against, all of them from the Joint List³.
The declaration has no ratification clause, and the joint communiqué was described as a framework agreement rather than a treaty²³.

Where accounts differ

According to Bahrain's lower house of parliament (2 November 2023): The Israeli ambassador has left Bahrain, the Bahraini ambassador has been recalled and economic ties have been halted⁵.
According to Israel's foreign ministry (the same day): No notification or decision on recalling ambassadors has been received, and relations are stable⁵.

What was carried out

Diplomatic relations were established and ambassadors appointed: Eitan Na'eh was Israel's first ambassador to Bahrain⁷, and Al Jalahma served in Israel from August 2021⁴.
The Knesset approved the joint communiqué in November 2020³.

What was not

Trade has stayed small: 21.2 million dollars in 2025, according to Israel Central Bureau of Statistics data as relayed by the Heritage Foundation⁸.
The post of Bahrain's ambassador to Israel has been empty since April 2025, according to the latest report found⁴.

What changed in real life

About 100 visitors from Bahrain entered Israel in 2025, according to the Heritage Foundation's annual report⁸.
In the first half of 2026 trade grew by 554% on the same period a year earlier, according to the Heritage Foundation; this is growth from a very low base⁹.

What remains open

Exactly what was decided in November 2023 remains unclear: the government did not formally confirm the lower house's announcement that economic ties had been halted⁵.
The gap between the kingdom's policy and opposition among the public has lasted since 2020¹.

Photos, videos and quotes

Today — today is a truly historic occasion, a moment of hope and opportunity for all the peoples of the Middle East.

Abdullatif Al Zayani · Abraham Accords signing ceremony, South Lawn of the White House, 15 September 2020
Official White House transcript, in English; his remarks are not marked there as interpreted. The translations are the site's own, not official texts.
Quote source: The White House (Trump White House archive, US National Archives)

15 September 2020 Iconic momentNot from an official or archival channel

President Trump Participates in the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony at the White House

Abraham Accords signing ceremony, the White House, 15 September 2020

U.S. Department of State · Opens on the source site in a new tab

Local photographs with credits and links to sources and licences. Where a usable image was unavailable, an archive link remains.

15 September 2020

Trump, Al Zayani, Netanyahu and Abdullah bin Zayed sign the Abraham Accords on the White House South Lawn

Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

Licence

Public Domain

See the photo in the archive

18 November 2020

Benjamin Netanyahu during joint remarks with Pompeo and Al Zayani in Jerusalem, November 2020

State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha / Public Domain