In a new interview Israel's Deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum discussed her recent trip to Bahrain. Read the interview here. Here visit was covered in local media. She met many locals while in Manama. A full transcript of her comments appears below.
"I am in Bahrain and it is a fascinating place. It is the road less travelled so far in terms of the Abraham Accords. I am here to discuss tourism and business opportunities. Israelis and Jewish tourists will want to visit Bahrain and get an authentic Gulf experience here.
There is a lot of interest here to establish a Bahrain-Israel Business Council on the model of the success of the UAE-Israel Business Council that i cofounded with Dorian Barak. I’m excited for the meetings we have had here with government and business leaders. There are a many tourism opportunities which is part of my portfolio for Jerusalem. There is also a lot of interest by Muslims and Christians to come to Jerusalem. Bahrain is one of the most religiously diverse and pluralistic countries in the Gulf, with a local Jewish community here since the 19th century. This country lives and breathes interfaith and coexistence. I am connecting big travel companies here to tour operators in Israel and the Jewish world. The tourism here is very authentic, a truly unforgettable Arab and Middle Eastern experience. I think when Jewish tourism sees Abu Dhabi, Dubai and then Bahrain, Bahrain will be a stop people are interested in because of its interfaith nature and its indigenous Jewish community.
We are building bridges and hopefully some kind of entity similar to the UAE-Israel Business Council will emerge. I am also meeting high level women for our Gulf-Israel women’s forum initiative. [Hassan-Nahoum has met Ambassador Houda Nonoo several times, in Israel and now Bahrain].
Currently there are no flights until January."
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