Relationship dossier
Bahrain
Israel
Relationship assessment
Normalization and security cooperation coexist with a serious rupture over the Gaza war.
Bahrain toward Israel
+20Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords and engaged in subsequent security cooperation. In 2023, amid the Gaza war, Bahrain recalled its ambassador and said economic ties with Israel were suspended.
Israel toward Bahrain
+20Israel established diplomatic relations with Bahrain under the 2020 Abraham Accords and pursued security cooperation, including a defense memorandum with Bahrain in 2022. The Gaza war has significantly strained the bilateral relationship.
Overall relationship
+15The 2020 normalization agreement and subsequent security cooperation created a substantive bilateral framework. Bahrain's 2023 recall of its ambassador and stated suspension of economic ties over the Gaza war represent a major setback, leaving the relationship marked by both formal cooperation and political strain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bahrain and Israel established diplomatic relations through the 2020 Abraham Accords and developed diplomatic and security cooperation. The relationship was strained by the Gaza war: in 2023, Bahrain recalled its ambassador and said economic ties with Israel were suspended. These developments indicate substantive cooperation alongside a significant recent rupture.
Areas of tension
- The Gaza war and its effects on Bahrain's relations with Israel.
- Bahrain's stated suspension of economic ties with Israel in 2023.
Key developments
Bahrain and Israel signed the Abraham Accords declaration, establishing a framework for diplomatic normalization.
Bahrain and Israel signed a memorandum on security cooperation.
Bahrain recalled its ambassador from Israel and said economic ties were suspended amid the Gaza war.
Major uncertainties
- The extent to which security and diplomatic cooperation continued after the 2023 rupture is unclear.
- The implementation and current scope of Bahrain's stated suspension of economic ties are uncertain.