By Gil Tanenbaum
Bahraini Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khlifa began a four day official visit to Jerusalem on Sunday. The Sheikh is the official at the Bahrain Foreign Ministry who is responsible for overseeing relations with the State of Israel.
This is his second visit to Israel. Al Khlifa previously visited the country last December together with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain. Sheikh Abdulla is expected to meet in the coming days with both Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and its President Yitzhak Herzog.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz will together with the Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah chair the Steering Committee for Political Relations between the two nations, which will convene during the Sheikh’s visit. The committee is being convened in preparation for a meeting between the foreign ministers of Israel and Bahrain.
During his visit, the Sheikh will also meet the members of the Israel Foreign Ministry’s cadet course on foreign policy and Bahrain-Israel relations.
In addition, the Deputy Foreign Minister will visit various organizations representing Israeli civil society, universities, and research institutes in order to strengthen ties between Israel and Bahrain.
For example, today he met Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations, and the former director general of its foreign ministry Dore Gold at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel The two gentlemen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Israel and Bahrain aimed at boosting cooperation against Iran.
Ambassador Dore Gold is President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, which he has led since 2000.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a leading independent research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy. Founded in 1976, the Center has produced hundreds of studies and initiatives by leading experts on a wide range of strategic topics.