Bahrain to establish maritime line with Israel

By AbdelRaouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Bahrain plans to establish a direct maritime line with Israel as one of the controversial normalization steps between the two countries, according to Israeli media.

“The first Bahraini cargo ship will arrive soon from Khalifa bin Salman Port in Bahrain to Haifa Port,” the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said on Tuesday.

Edni Simkin, the CEO of private shipping firm MSC Israel, said senior officials in the field of ports and maritime navigation in Bahrain are showing great interest in stronger cooperation with Israel.

According to the broadcaster, Tel Aviv is discussing with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan establishing a railway line to connect the port of Haifa with the UAE.

Bahraini authorities had no comment on the report.

On Monday, the first Emirati ship loaded with goods, including iron, firefighting, cleaning and electronic equipment, arrived at Haifa, Israel.

Bahrain, the UAE and Israel agreed to establish full diplomatic, cultural, and commercial relations following the signing of controversial normalization agreements at the White House last month.

The moves have been followed by a series of announcements on agreements and contracts between firms from all three nations.

The normalization deals have drawn widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who say the deals ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara