Officials hail 2020’s Abraham Accords as enabling deeper ties between the countries
A delegation of Israeli defense contractors will participate in the Bahrain International Airshow next month, in a sign of the growing military ties between Israel and the Gulf nation after the two countries normalized relations over two years ago.
The weapons show, celebrating its tenth year, primarily focuses on the aerospace industry, both civilian and military.
Bahrain’s Ambassador to Israel hailed the Jewish state’s participation in a letter to the delegation’s organizers, ISDEF — an Avnon Group company that holds an annual defense show in Israel — saying it is “an important milestone in strengthening the relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel.”
Among the Israeli companies heading to the exhibition between November 9 and 11, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said it would showcase “a variety of its state-of-the-art aviation products,” including radars, air defense systems, drones defense, and other products.
IAI doard of directors chairman Amir Peretz said the Abraham Accords, the 2020 agreements mediated by the United States between Israel and a number of Arab countries, “have opened the door for us to participate for the first time in this exhibition and to work collaboratively with our neighbors to deal with the common threats we face in the region.”
“IAI’s capabilities, alongside the impressive relationships that we developed over the last two years with our colleagues in the Gulf States, will allow us to continue to expand the company’s contribution to both technology and defense in the region, whereby our proven capabilities can help ensure a higher degree of regional stability,” he added.
IAI’s CEO Boaz Levy said the company believes “there are several opportunities to work together, share our knowledge, and develop new defense and civilian solutions with our partners in the Gulf region, and together, to create a brighter and safer future for our region.”
ISDEF said the official Israeli pavilion would span some 200 square meters “where the best technologies and innovations of Israeli companies will be presented, alongside live demonstrations.”