President Reuven Rivlin met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, who arrived Wednesday morning as head of his country's first official delegation to Israel, at his official residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon.
"Salaam Alikum. Welcome to Israel, welcome to Jerusalem," Rivlin told al-Zayani.
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"I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to his Royal Highness, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and all the citizens of Bahrain," Rivlin told the foreign minister.
"Foreign Minister, the world is dealing with waves of hatred and wars at all times, so I am especially proud and moved that our peoples have shown the world that nevertheless, this is the time for peace. The entire world should see the flags of Israel and Bahrain waving next to each other at the President's Residence and on the streets of Jerusalem today," Rivlin continued.
"This is a new era of friendship and cooperation. In that spirit, I am happy to welcome you as my friend," the president said.
"The new friendship between Israel and Bahrain and other countries in the region makes it clear that peace is possible, and the world will not wait. I would like to make it clear to the Palestinians that Israel wants to live peacefully in the region. Jews and Muslims, we are all the sons of Abraham, Israelis and Palestinians – we were not sentenced to live together, we were destined to live together. It's time to build trust and make peace," the president said.
Rivlin also offered his condolences for the recent death of former Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, and said he would be "honored to invite the king of Bahrain to visit Jerusalem – God bless Israel, and God bless Bahrain," he said.
Al-Zayani thanked Rivlin and said he hoped the Bahraini people would achieve the same things Rivlin mentioned: peace, tolerance, co-existence even in a time of disputes, and true faith in peace.
Al-Zayani said these were values that King Hamad was leading in the region.
"We know that there will be challenges, but we also know we can overcome them," the foreign minister said, adding that he would take Rivlin's messages back to his king.
Rivlin then presented Al-Zayani with a copy of the Quran translated into Hebrew by his father, the late Professor Yosef Rivlin. Al-Zayani said he would treasure it all his life.
Al-Zayani then signed the guest book: "I come to Israel with a message of peace from the King of Bahrain and the people of Bahrain. I come conveying the of High Majesty King Hamad and the people of Bahrain to the president and the people of Israel."
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