Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Hertzi Halevi visited Bahrain earlier this week for an international military conference with the participation of senior military commanders from numerous Arab countries. The Chief of Staff's visit was not officially declared by his office, but a photo of him sitting in a meeting with the Crown Prince of Bahrain appeared in the headlines of major Arabian newspapers Thursday afternoon.
This is Halevi's first visit as Chief of Staff in one of the countries of the Abraham Accords and the first time he participated as chief of staff in a meeting with military commanders of Arab countries. The security conference, which is still going on, is being held under the auspices of the Central Command of the US Army; the commander of the Central Command of the US Army General Michael Kurilla is the senior American representative at the event.
Confirmation of Halevi’s secret trip came only after the Walla news site spotted him in a picture published by #Bahrain’s Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper.
— LuaLuaTV (@LuaLuaEnglish) February 10, 2023
According to #Israeli media, his visit focused on advancing Tel Aviv's campaign against #Iran.
Proof of the security cooperation between Jerusalem and Manama was seen last over the past summer, when a Bahraini military official, Khaled Al-Jalahama, visited the offices of Elbit Systems, one of the leading Israeli defense companies. The Bahraini official told reporters at the time that "It was great to visit and meet the management team. We reviewed the paths for possible cooperation.”
Israel and the Gulf Arab countries have also been working together to improve the air defense systems in the wake of a possible Iranian attack. It was reported in the Wall Street Journal that then Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, participated in a secret discussion with the Saudi Chief of Staff at a meeting attended by senior officials from the IDF and Arab armies. Sources privy to the details said that the participants agreed in principle on a mechanism for immediate updates on air threats.
🇮🇱🇧🇭 — NEWS: IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi secretly visited Bahrain in the last two days before leaving the county tonight. This morning, Bahraini newspapers revealed the secret meeting with the crown prince | @BarakRavid pic.twitter.com/UVFDf7atIN
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) February 9, 2023
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords over two years ago, about 150 meetings have been held between the Israeli security establishment, the IDF, and their counterparts in the countries of the region, not including Jordan and Egypt. Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that defense procurement deals have been signed between Israel and Arab countries in the region worth more than three billion dollars.
These various security conferences, which both Israel and Saudi officials attend, raise hopes for the possibility of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia in the near future; which has been part of Benyamin Netanyahu’s objectives for years.
