The Media Line: Eitan Na’eh, Israeli Diplomat Who Helped Open the Gulf to Israel, Dies at 62 

Eitan Na’eh, Israeli Diplomat Who Helped Open the Gulf to Israel, Dies at 62 

By The Media Line Staff 

Eitan Na’eh, a veteran Israeli diplomat who became Israel’s first ambassador to Bahrain and helped turn the Abraham Accords from signatures into working relationships, died Monday at age 62, Israeli officials said. 

Na’eh spent more than three decades in Israel’s Foreign Ministry, serving in senior posts that ranged from the Caucasus to the Gulf. He was Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan and later to Turkey, where he served from 2016 to 2018 until Ankara expelled him during a diplomatic rupture linked to violence surrounding Gaza border clashes. Israeli officials at the time said the episode was staged to humiliate him, and it became a defining test of his composure under pressure. 

After Israel normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates in 2020, Na’eh was tapped as the first head of Israel’s mission in Abu Dhabi in 2021. He later became Israel’s first ambassador to Bahrain, serving in Manama from December 2021 until November 2023, as the Israel-Hamas War reshaped regional politics following the October 7 massacre. Bahraini authorities said in early November 2023 that Na’eh had left and “returned home a while ago,” after parliamentary rhetoric in Bahrain tied his departure to the conflict. 

Na’eh spoke frequently to The Media Line about normalization. He often spoke of diplomacy as patient, demanding work, saying that “building relationships where there were none is a process which takes patience.” He pointed to Israel’s ties with Bahrain as proof, noting that the relationship endured even through the Israel-Hamas war and other regional strains. Despite conflict and public pressure, he said, “we have stood the worst test to the relationship, we maintained our relationship, we maintained a high level of dialogue,” citing Bahrain’s willingness to keep channels open and maintain visible engagement with Israel’s leadership at a time when much of the region was under strain. 

At the time of his death, Na’eh was serving as the Foreign Ministry’s representative to the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat. 

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Na’eh had “exceptional diplomatic skills” and a “unique ability to build bridges,” adding: “Eitan was a true team player in the fullest sense of the term—a man with a generous heart.” 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote that he “excelled in forging connections and relationships wherever he served,” adding, “Eitan was known for his generous heart and boundless compassion.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Na’eh “served Israel with devotion for over 35 years.” 

He is survived by his wife and children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced. 

 

Naah-e1760897505332.webp – Former Israeli Ambassador to Bahrain Eitan Na’eh. (Screenshot: The Media Line)