Bahrain and Israel ‘building bridges’

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

By P Unnikrishnan

Bahrain and Israel are soon to benefit from a wide number of collaborations across various industries, following the normalisation of ties between the two friendly nations, says a leading Israeli official.

Deputy Mayor for Foreign Relations of the Israeli capital of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, told TDT in an exclusive interview that the historic peace deal signed between Bahrain, Israel and the UAE will “build bridges” and “open doors” to all kinds of opportunities, which could only have a positive impact on each country.

Hassan-Nahoum was speaking after arriving in the Kingdom for an official multi-day visit, during which she hopes to get to know the local business environment and interact with members of Bahrain’s Jewish community.

“There are two main objectives for my visit: the first is to get to know the business community and see how we can start making great collaborations between our countries; build the bridges and open the doors to those business opportunities,” Hassan-Nahoum said.

“The second is to meet the Jewish community here. I’ve heard such big things about them and I have some friends in the community, and I’d love to get to know them better.” Hassan-Nahoum had flown into Bahrain from Dubai, where she said there is a lot of potential for different partnerships in culture, technology, and business—just as it is here in the Kingdom.

She said that tourism is an industry that will benefit greatly from the normalisation of ties, and noted that she expects more than 70,000 Israeli tourists to visit the UAE’s most populous city by the end of December.

Hassan-Nahoum added: “Israelis are thrilled to be able to come on holiday to the Gulf, and the Kingdom of Bahrain is obviously a beautiful country. It is a country that is a flagship of coexistence; the way the Jewish community has lived here for a hundred years is an example of this. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus in Bahrain; it is an example to the world and to the entire region. “I think Israelis are just very excited to get to know the region and to come here.” Hassan-Nahoum further highlighted some other sectors where both Bahrain and Israel can share their expertise.

“Israel has very advanced agriculture technology, water technology; we have similar challenges in this region, so I truly believe there will be lots of new bridges in the verticals of these and technology in general,” she explained. “Israel has developed incredible know-how in different fields that it can share with other countries of the region, and I’m sure, likewise, Bahrain can share some of its best practices with us as well.”

Hassan-Nahoum continued: “Israel is a great medical tourism destination. I also think we have lots of medical technology and digital health technology that we are exporting now around the world. “This is something we will be discussing over the next few days, ways of collaboration, ways to add value to each other as countries.”

Being among the leading officials in charge of tourism in Jerusalem, Hassan-Nahoum encourages Bahrainis to visit Israel and experience all the country has to offer, noting that she expects the Israeli Embassy in Bahrain to be established soon. “I would be thrilled to receive Bahraini tourists to Jerusalem, to all of Israel,” she expressed.

“Everybody [must come] to enjoy the culture, culinary, history, and nature of our country.” She said that although the trip to Israel may be pricey, there are plenty of options for travellers to choose from, and the country does all it can to ensure the safety of its foreign guests.

“Tourism is not something cheap, but we do have a lot of range of hotels, and we have something for everybody’s pocket as the cost of living is high,” she said. “Israel is one of the safest countries in the world,” she continued. “Jerusalem is one of the safest capital cities in the world. We are very conscious of our safety and security.

“Jerusalem has a network of cameras, especially in the holy areas, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that everybody is safe and has a wonderfully pleasant holiday in Israel.”