Israel foreign minister makes historic visit to Bahrain

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is in Bahrain for the first official visit by an Israeli cabinet member to the Gulf kingdom since the countries established diplomatic ties last year.

Mr Lapid will open the new Israeli embassy and sign several agreements.

The first commercial flight from Manama to Tel Aviv took off after he landed.

Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan normalised relations with Israel as part of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.

Until then only two Arab nations - Egypt and Jordan - had signed peace treaties with Israel.

"We've landed in Bahrain. I'm proud to represent Israel in an official and historic first in the kingdom. Thanks for the warm reception," Mr Lapid tweeted on Thursday morning.

He was expected to hold talks with Bahraini officials before inaugurating the Israeli embassy in Manama and signing several memorandums of understanding, including co-operation agreements between hospitals and water and power companies.

"We see Bahrain as an important partner, on the bilateral level but also as a bridge to co-operate with other countries in the region," an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Although there was a warm official welcome for Mr Lapid, news agency AFP reported that opponents of the Abraham Accords burned tyres on the outskirts of Manama, sending clouds of black smoke into the air.

"The visit of the Israeli FM to Bahrain is an act firmly rejected, condemned and denounced by the people of Bahrain," said Sheikh Hussein al-Daih, deputy secretary-general of the banned Shia Muslim opposition movement Al-Wefaq.

Last year, Al-Wefaq described the signing of the Abraham Accords as a "betrayal of Islam and Arabism" because it departed from a long-standing commitment not to normalise relations with Israel until there was progress towards the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The Palestinian president also rejected the accords as a "stab in the back".

Mr Lapid has also visited the UAE and Morocco since he became foreign minister in a coalition government formed by Naftali Bennett in June.

But he has not yet travelled to Sudan, with which Israel's relations have yet to progress.

At an event marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised to "keep normalisation marching forward".

"We want to widen the circle of peaceful diplomacy, because it's in the interests of countries across the region and around the world for Israel to be treated like any other country," he said.