Bahrain–Israel relations

The relations between Bahrain and Israel refers to the current and historical relations between Bahrain and Israel. Relations are thawing between the two states despite them not having official diplomatic or economic relations.[1][2][3] The foreign minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been quoted saying "Israel is part of this heritage of this whole region, historically. So, the Jewish people have a place amongst us."[4][5] The common threat of Iran has provided common ground for a thaw in what was once tense relations.[6]

Bahrain–Israel relations

Bahrain
Israel

Like most Arab states, Bahrain does not recognize Israel and traditionally supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state. A brief period of warming in relations occurred in the mid-1990s during the optimistic days of the Oslo Accords, dulling during the second intifada and warming again recently due to the Middle Eastern Cold War as Bahrain recognized Israel's right to exist in May 2018.[7]

History

The first ever official Israeli delegation to visit Bahrain was in late September 1994.[8] Yossi Sarid, Israel's Minister for the Environment, took part in regional discussions on environmental issues and met with Bahrain’s foreign minister.[9]

In October 2007, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid Alkhalifa held a meeting with the American Jewish Committee where he said "Palestinian refugees should return to Palestine". In the same month during the General Assembly of the UN, he met with then-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni drawing heavy criticism from the Bahraini parliament.[10]

Wikileaks

In 2011, amid Arab spring uprising, Wikileaks cables published on Haaretz revealed some of the hidden relations between Bahraini and Israeli officials. In a meeting with the U.S. ambassador on February 2005, Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had bragged about having contact with Israel's national intelligence agency, Mossad. He indicated that Bahrain is ready to develop relations in other fields as well. The king reportedly gave orders that official statements don't use phrases such as "enemy" and "Zionist entity" when referring to Israel anymore. However, he refused the idea of having trade relations, saying it was "too early" and would be postponed until the establishment of an independent Palestine state.[11]

Normalization of relations

Following a video of a ceremony to mark the Jewish Hanukkah holiday hosted by Bahrain that went viral in 2016, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, during an event hosted by Simon Wiesenthal Center on September 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, denounced the Arab League boycott of Israel and began normalizing relations following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of normalizing relations with the Arab world.[12] In effect, it allows Bahraini citizens to visit Israel whenever its necessary.[13] If the two countries begin establishing diplomatic relations, Bahrain will be the third Arab country and the first Arab country in the Persian Gulf region to grant recognition to the State of Israel (the others being Egypt in 1980 and Jordan in 1994; thePalestinian National Authority in 1993 also recognized Israel).

In May 2018, Bahrain recognized Israel's right to exist. This was reportedly mainly due to tensions with Iran.[7] This was refuted by Manama authorities as the country remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative.[14]

In June 2019, six Israeli media outlets received formal invitations to cover the Israeli-Palestinian economic peace workshop in Bahrain.[15] In July 2019, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, met in United States.[16] In October 2019, an Israeli official, Dana Benvenisti-Gabay, attended the "Working Group on Maritime and Aviation Security" in Manama, Bahrain.[17] In December 2019, Jerusalem chief rabbi, Shlomo Amar, visited Bahrain for an interfaith event.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Bahrain foreign minister defends Australia's decision on Jerusalem". Reuters. 2018-12-16. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  2. "Bahrain minister calls for open communication with Israel". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  3. staff, T. O. I. "Jerusalem chief rabbi visits Bahrain for interfaith event". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  4. "The Bahrain Conference: What the Experts and the Media Missed". Yale Insights. 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  5. Ahren, Raphael. "Bahrain FM to Times of Israel: Israel is here to stay, and we want peace with it". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  6. Ahren, Raphael; Alex; Fulbright, er. "Israel, Bahrain foreign ministers talk Iran in groundbreaking public meet". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  7. "Bahrain Sides With Israel Against Iran". pjmedia.com. 10 May 2018.
  8. The Middle East and North Africa, Europa Publications Limited
  10. Barak Ravid (20 February 2011). "WikiLeaks: Bahrain FM planned to meet Israeli officials in support of peace process". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  11. Yossi Melman (8 April 2011). "Haaretz Wikileaks exclusive / Bahrain King boasted of intelligence ties with Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  12. "Bahrain's king denounces boycott of Israel, says citizens free to visit Israel". presstv.com. 18 September 2017.
  13. "Bahrain king denounces Arab boycott of Israel, says countrymen may visit". jpost.com. 17 September 2017.
  14. Bahrain denies Israel relations reports
  15. "At economic peace summit, being an Israeli in Bahrain feels almost normal". The Times of Israel. 26 June 2019.
  16. Ahren, Raphael. "After long wait, some Israeli news outlets okayed to cover Bahrain summit". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  17. "In rare formal visit, Israeli official attends anti-Iran conference in Bahrain". The Times of Israel. 21 October 2019.
  18. "Jerusalem chief rabbi visits Bahrain for interfaith event, meets king". The Times of Israel. 10 December 2019.
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