Israeli PM Bennett meets Bahrain crown prince

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on Tuesday with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the prime minister, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, during his landmark trip to the tiny Gulf state — the first by an Israeli premier, Report informs, citing The Times of Israel.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Bahraini monarch hailed the “historic day,” noting Bennett is the first Israeli premier to visit the kingdom.

“Because of [Bennett’s] determination and leadership, this was a productive and successful visit,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. “I thank you for coming here.”

Bennett’s office said his tete-a-tete with the king extended beyond the allotted time, leaving no time for their teams to meet.

Arriving earlier at the crown prince’s office in Manama, he was welcomed by a military band playing “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.

“All responsible nations must make an effort to achieve peace,” the crown prince said, according to a statement from Bennett’s office.

“Not that there has ever been a war between us, but relations between our countries have not been sound.”

Bennett thanked Al Khalifa for the “warm and generous welcome.”

“I see a very big opportunity here,” he said. “This is the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to Bahrain. I come from Israel with a spirit of goodwill, cooperation, of standing together in the face of common challenges, and I think our goal in this visit is to turn this peace from a peace between governments to a peace between people, and convert it from something ceremonial to something meaningful.”