Bahrain deal spotlights Saudi's stealth normalisation with Israel

BAHRAIN’S move to formally establish relations with Israel could not have happened without Saudi Arabia’s green light, another step in what observers call Riyadh’s “alternative normalisation” of ties with the Jewish state.

Bahrain on Friday became Saudi Arabia’s second Gulf ally to announce plans to formalise relations with Israel over the past month, after the United Arab Emirates’ landmark agreement.