The Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the IDC Herzliya signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with the Derasat Institute - The Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies on Wednesday, IDC announced in a press release. The agreement intends to establish a partnership between the two institutes, with joint meetings, projects and workshops. The memorandum is the latest in a string of collaborations between Israel and like-minded countries in the Middle East, since the announcement of the US-brokered “Abraham Accords” with four Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Dr. Shiekh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that the signing took place close to the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords and spoke of the budding relations between Israel and Bahrain.“I remember sitting on the south Lawn of the White House last September and realizing that history was in the making, when the Kingdom of Bahrain decided to join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic relations with Israel," he said. "Back then there was nothing between our countries. Today we’ve come a long way and we have a solid foundation. The values of peace, coexistence, religious tolerance, are values that Bahrain has been upholding for centuries both our peoples share. Linking our faculties, our researchers, our analysts, our students and having them work together will do a lot for the development of bilateral relations between Bahrain and Israel. As we are approaching the first anniversary of the Abraham accord, I can say that we have done a lot but there is much more to do."