Netanyahu welcomes normalization with Bahrain

JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday welcomed US President Donald Trump's annoucement of reaching a normalization deal between Israel and Bahrain.

In a news conference broadcast by the Israeli KAN TV, Netanyahu said that it took Israel 29 days to reach the agreement with Bahrain.

Netanyahu also confirmed that other Arab countries will establish ties with Israel. "It is a new phase of peace," he added.

The Bahraini official news agency said that during a phone call between Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Trump both sides agreed to establish full diplomatic ties between Tel Aviv and Manama.

On Aug. 13, the UAE and Israel announced a US-brokered agreement to normalize their relations, including opening embassies in each other's territory.

By Trump's announcement, Bahrain becomes the fourth Arab country to have diplomatic relations with Israel, after Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994 and the UAE in 2020.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara