Bahrain Officially Appoints the First-Ever Ambassador to Israel

Bahrain officially appointed the country’s first-ever ambassador to Israel, the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported Tuesday.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa issued a royal decree appointing Khalid Al Jalahma to head the Gulf country’s diplomatic mission to Israel. The King wished the ambassador success in promoting the message of peace and tolerance, according to the report.

BNA initially announced in March the appointment of Al Jalahma who had been serving as director of operations at Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry and was previously deputy chief of mission at Bahrain’s embassy to the United States from 2009 to 2013.

Israel had said the appointment was approved after a call between Bahraini Foreign Minister Abd al-Latif al-Ziani and former Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.