Visitors to the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation on Aug. 10 were surprised. Accompanied by a large escort of both security and staff of the center, the undersecretary for international relations at Bahrain's Foreign Ministry, Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, arrived there for a visit. The Center’s senior adviser for governmental and international affairs, Nadav Tamir, showed him the way, with Chemi Peres — the son of the late Shimon Peres and chair of the center — welcoming the undersecretary warmly.
Khalifa was more than willing to exchange words and to have his picture taken with others, first with a woman who happened to be visiting and then with a teenaged girl. Judging by his reactions, Khalifa was delighted to discover the venue and took great interest in the story about the place and its initiatives.
A communique issued after the visit quoted Khalifa as saying, "We have been building this peace for 11 months and this is only the beginning. We have much in common and there is plenty of potential for further close cooperation.’’
Khalifa arrived in Israel on Aug. 8 for a four-day work visit. It was his third visit to Israel. His first visit took place in November 2020, when he accompanied Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani. He then came again in December 2020, accompanying Bahrain's minister of industry, commerce and tourism, Zayed al-Zayani.
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