Bahrain, Israel agree to set up embassies in Jerusalem meet

The minister, Abdellatif al-Zayani, was welcomed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport by his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi, a live Israeli television broadcast showed.

At the same time, the visit by the Bahraini delegation is meant to enhance relations between the two countries, especially at the economic level.

Qatar's foreign minister said at a Monday forum that the Gulf state does not have a position on its neighbors the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain normalizing relations with Israel.

US President-elect Joe Biden has indicated that his administration would rejoin the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.

Although Thani called the Emirati and Bahraini normalization with Israel a "sovereign decision", he also said that a "united front" of Arab states vis-a-vis Israel is preferable for the Palestinians.

Bahrain's foreign minister called for fresh Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during a landmark meeting on Wednesday in Israel with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

FAA approves Boeing 737 Max return to flight, but Canada holds back
Dickson said he said expects other worldwide regulators will "complete their work within a relatively short period of time". American Airlines has said it plans to begin service on the MAX at the end of December for service in between NY and Miami.

Israel's foreign ministry official Alon Ushpiz told Israeli Army Radio the officials would continue work on memorandums of understanding signed in October in Manama covering air travel, visa accommodations and the opening of embassies.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo becomes first top USA diplomat to visit occupied West Bank's Israeli settlements - a move seen by many as Washington's tacit acceptance of illegal construction and occupation.

The settlements are regarded by many countries as illegal under worldwide law, including Britain, though Mr Pompeo has won vast popularity among settler communities and the Israeli right for disputing this claim.

Israeli planning and building of settlements in the Palestinian territories has boomed under successive Netanyahu governments and especially since Trump took office in 2017.

The US and Israel - along with Gulf states the UAE, Bahrain and notably Saudi Arabia - share a strong animosity toward Shiite Muslim regional power Iran.

"We will immediately take steps to identify organisations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw USA government support for such groups", Pompeo said in a joint appearance with Nentanyahu.