The national flags of Israel and Bahrain flutter at the entrance of the King David Hotel, in Jerusalem, Nov. 26, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ammar Awad

i24 News – Bahrain’s first ambassador to Israel arrived to the Jewish state on Tuesday nearly one year after the White House signing ceremony that established diplomatic relations between the two countries as part of the Abraham Accords.

Khaled Yousef al-Jalahmah landed at Ben Gurion International Airport to take up his post on behalf of the Gulf state, where he was greeted by Gil Haskel, chief of state protocol at Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

“The opportunity to fulfill His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s vision of peaceful coexistence with all nations is a privilege that I will hold in high regard,” al-Jalahmah posted to Twitter in Arabic and Hebrew before touching down in Israel.

The new Bahraini ambassador joins Gulf neighbor the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in establishing a diplomatic presence in Israel.

Earlier this year, Mohamed Al Khaja became the UAE’s first ambassador to Israel, recently participating in an inauguration ceremony in Tel Aviv with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to officially open the UAE’s embassy in Israel.

Morocco and Sudan also joined Bahrain and the UAE in normalizing relations with Israel as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Al-Jalahmah previously served as director of operations at Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry and before that was deputy chief of mission at Bahrain’s embassy to the United States from 2009 to 2013.