Pod Save America Hosts Call on Democrats to Cut All Israel Military Aid, No Longer Accept AIPAC Funding
Jews, Israelis Targeted in Austria Amid Surge in Antisemitic Incidents; Local Jewish Community Calls for Action
‘All of Our Strength’: Over 1,000 Pro-Israel Activists Gather in DC for Solidarity Conference
‘Devastated’: Wesley LePatner, Killed in Manhattan Mass Shooting, Was a Jewish Communal, Philanthropic Leader
Sen. Angus King Vows to No Longer Vote for Israel Military Aid Until Gaza Conditions Improve
Europe Won’t Pressure Israel to ‘Commit Suicide’ Amid Gaza Backlash, Palestinian State Push, Says Israeli FM
Israel’s National Soccer Coach Attacked in Athens Before Soccer Fans Chant ‘F–K Israel, Free Palestine’ at Match
New York Judge Sentences Neo-Nazi to 5 Years for Livestreaming Bomb Threats Against Jewish Hospitals
US Pressures Lebanon to Issue Cabinet Decision to Disarm Hezbollah Before Talks Continue
UK Plans to Recognize Palestinian State in September Unless Israel Meets Conditions, Starmer Says
Bahrain King Says Accord With Israel Not Directed Against Any Country
Error: Contact form not found.
by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attends a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 10, 2019. Photo: Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court / Handout via Reuters.
Bahrain’s move to establish ties with Israel was not directed against any entity or power but aimed to bring about a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said on Monday.
The king, in a cabinet statement reported by state news agency BNA, reaffirmed Bahrain’s support for the Palestinians and for an Arab peace initiative drawn up in 2002 that offered Israel normalized ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and a full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to normalize ties with Israel but without a resolution of Israel‘s dispute with the Palestinians, in a strategic realignment of Middle East countries against Iran.
The accord called for “full diplomatic relations” but avoided the term normalization.
“Tolerance and co-existence define our true Bahraini identity…Our steps towards peace and prosperity are not directed against any entity or power, rather they are in everyone’s interest and aim for good neighborliness,” King Hamad said, quoted by BNA.
Sporadic street protests have broken out in Bahrain since it signed the accord with Israel earlier this month.
Bahrain was the only Gulf Arab state to witness a sizeable pro-democracy uprising in 2011, which it quashed with Saudi and Emirati help.
The Sunni-ruled country accuses Shi’ite Muslim Iran of backing subversion, a charge Iran denies.
