MANAMA, Bahrain

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received on Tuesday the diplomatic credentials of Eitan Na’eh, Israel’s first Ambassador to the Gulf nation, the state news agency BNA reported.

The Israeli ambassador arrived in the Bahraini capital Manama on Nov. 29 after the two countries signed a US-sponsored agreement to establish diplomatic relations last year.

Bahraini Ambassador Khaled Yousif al-Jalahma had arrived in Tel Aviv on Aug. 31 to assume his duties.

Bahrain was joined by the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco in normalizing their relations with Israel in 2020, in a move condemned by Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat