Israel, Bahrain tourism ministers speak, discuss joint ventures with UAE

The tourism ministers of Israel and Bahrain held a first publicly acknowledged phone call on Thursday and discussed possible ventures including three-way travel packages involving the United Arab Emirates, an Israeli statement said. The conversation between Israel's Asaf Zamir and Bahrain's Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani followed a White House ceremony on Tuesday at which their countries pledged to establish relations.

The tourism ministers of Israel and Bahrain held a first publicly acknowledged phone call on Thursday and discussed possible ventures including three-way travel packages involving the United Arab Emirates, an Israeli statement said.

The conversation between Israel's Asaf Zamir and Bahrain's Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani followed a White House ceremony on Tuesday at which their countries pledged to establish relations. The UAE and Israel also formalised ties at the same event. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Hugh Lawson)