Nov. 24 (UPI) -- After purportedly making a secret visit to Saudi Arabia to meet for the first time with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he will visit Bahrain soon.
Netanyahu's pledge follows an invitation from Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa.
The Israeli leader said he's spoken by phone with the crown prince, who is also prime minister of Bahrain. The cooperation was spawned by a recent agreement to formally normalize relations between Bahrain and Israel.
Israel made similar diplomatic agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Sudan.
"This was our second conversation; it was very friendly," Netanyahu said Tuesday. "Both of us are very moved by the fact that we can bring peace to our peoples and our countries in a very short time.
"He also invited me to make an official visit to Bahrain soon. I will do so, on your behalf, with pleasure."
The Bahrain News Agency reported that the leaders discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to establish collaboration across various sectors while enhancing peace and stability in the Middle East.
Palestinians have denounced the normalization moves as a betrayal, saying they should not have occurred until Israeli-Palestinian peace has been established.
Reports said Netanyahu secretly traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with the Saudi crown prince and outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. A top Saudi diplomat, however, later denied that bin Salman and Netanyahu had met.
"No such meeting occurred," Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan tweeted. "The only officials present were American and Saudi."
