Israel airliner flies to Bahrain after ties normalised

An Israeli airliner flew to Bahrain days after both countries signed a normalisation deal.
1 min read
23 September, 2020
The Israir Airlines jet from Tel Aviv flew over Saudi Arabia to reach Bahrain [Getty]

An Israeli airliner flew to Bahrain on Wednesday, tracking data showed, just days after the two countries inked a normalisation accord backed by the United States.

The Israir Airlines jet from Tel Aviv flew over Saudi Arabia to reach the Gulf state, according to data from the FlightRadar24 website.

Israel's Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported senior government officials were on the plane. 

Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office nor the airline would confirm the flight when contacted by AFP.

It comes a day after Netanyahu spoke by phone with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman to map out the two countries' new relationship.

They "reviewed potential areas of bilateral cooperation and relevant regional and international developments", the Gulf state's BNA news agency said.

Bahrain's decision to normalise ties with Israel followed a similar move by the United Arab Emirates.

Both accords were inked at a September 15 ceremony hosted by US President Donald Trump.

Only two other Arab states have previously signed agreements with Israel, Jordan in 1994 and Egypt in 1979.

The Palestinians have condemned the latest deals as a "stab in the back" for their aspirations to establish an independent state of their own.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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