Head of Bahrain’s Jewish community on Israel deal

Bahrain has agreed to normalize relations with Israel, becoming the latest Arab nation to do so as part of a broader diplomatic push by President Donald Trump further ease the Jewish state's relative isolation in the Middle East and find common ground with nations that share US wariness of Iran.

Trump announced the agreement following a phone call he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The three leaders also issued a brief joint statement marking the second such Arab normalization agreement with Israel in the past two months.

Bahrain is one of the few Arab countries with a small Jewish population of around 60 and they live in harmony with other religions in the tiny Gulf nation.

"We were elated because it means that visitors from Israel can come back here and it'll be great for them to actually see the synagogue again and maybe to visit their relatives who are buried here," said Ebrahim Nonoo, head of the Jewish Community in Bahrain.

Nonoo, a former member of the parliament, said the deal will benefit tourism industry in both countries.

"For the Bahrainis it'll be a wonderful idea to go to Israel and do some touring there, so tourism will benefit greatly undoubtedly and I'm pretty certain many people will look to invest in Bahrain as well, they'll see it as a second Dubai."

The announcement came less than a week before Trump hosts a White House ceremony to mark the establishment of full relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, something that Trump and his Middle East team brokered in August.

Bahrain's foreign minister will attend that event and sign a separate agreement with Netanyahu.

Friday's agreement is another diplomatic win for Trump less than two months before the presidential election and an opportunity to shore up support among pro-Israel evangelical Christians.