Israel and Bahrain sign agreement establishing diplomatic relations
18 October 2020
MANAMA — Israel and Bahrain signed an agreement on establishing diplomatic relations in Manama on Sunday, one month after a historic ceremony at the White House.
Why it matters: The "joint communique on establishing peaceful and diplomatic relations" is an interim agreement on the path to a comprehensive peace treaty, paving the way for the two countries to open embassies and sign more cooperation agreements.
The state of play: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House envoy Avi Berkowitz were in attendance at the signing alongside Bahrain's foreign minister and Israel's national security adviser.
- Mnuchin and Berkowitz arrived in Manama together with an Israeli delegation on the first direct flight of an Israeli airliner to Bahrain — El Al Flight 973, a reference to Bahrain's telephone code.
- Israeli and Bahraini officials held talks for several hours and inked eight memorandums of understanding (MOU) on visas, trade, agriculture, investments, direct flights, finance and investments.
- Mnuchin stood by as officials signed the MOUs alongside the agreement on diplomatic relations.
What they're saying: Today is just a first step for Israel, Bahrain and the U.S. and an important step for strengthening stability in the region. We have a big opportunity in security, in trade, in travel and in many other fields," Mnuchin said.
What's next: Minutes after the signing ceremony, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official handed the Bahraini foreign minister a diplomatic note with a formal request for opening an Israeli embassy in Manama. Israeli officials told me they want to open the new embassy before the end of the year.
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Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.