The United States discussed with the Bahraini regime ways to advance the suspicious rapprochement relations with Israel under the recently signed normalization agreement.
This came during a phone call between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
“I spoke by phone with my Bahraini counterpart about the historic peace agreement between his country and Israel,” the US Secretary of State said in a tweet.
During the call, Blinken discussed the advancement of bilateral relations and strengthening regional security. He stressed that Bahrain has been an important partner and ally of the United States for many decades.
He expressed appreciation for Bahrain’s hosting of the Central Naval Forces Command and its prominent role in supporting and American efforts to combat what he called “terrorism” and its financing.
He affirmed the United States’ support for the Peace Declaration and the Abraham Principles Agreement, “which reflects the desire for coexistence, interdependence and the achievement of security, stability and prosperity for the region,” he said.
Earlier, the United States welcomed Bahrain’s formation of its diplomatic mission, and its appointment of the first ambassador to Israel.
Bahrain announced the appointment of Khaled Youssef Al-Jalahma as head of the Kingdom’s diplomatic mission to Israel.
According to the Bahrain News Agency, the decision came in the implementation of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s decision, according to Decree No. (43) for the year 2021.
In September 2020, Bahrain and the UAE signed two normalization agreements with Israel at the White House, under the auspices of then-US President Donald Trump.
The agreement sparked widespread anger in Bahrain. It was also rejected by the Palestinians, who assert that it is Bahrain’s betrayal of Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Palestinian cause.
Ophir Gendelman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcomed the appointment of the Bahraini regime as ambassador to Manama in Tel Aviv.
Gendelman claimed the Bahraini regime’s move “promotes peace.” He said, “The decision to appoint the new ambassador to Bahrain constitutes an important step in advancing relations between the two countries in all fields.”
Netanyahu’s spokesman said that Israeli-Bahraini relations are advancing, strengthening and serving the two peoples
On the other hand, Bahraini citizens condemned the Bahraini regime’s new rapprochement move towards Israel.
Angry demonstrators burned pictures of Israel’s flag, in order to reject all forms of normalization.
They stressed that the step to establish a diplomatic mission to the Israeli occupation is absolutely unacceptable.
The Bahraini Society for Resisting Normalization also reaffirmed its adherence to humanitarian and religious constants, considering the Palestinian cause as the central issue of the nation.
The Bahraini Society affirmed that facing the occupation is a duty for everyone to do, for the sake of establishing an independent Palestinian democratic state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
According to the association, this harms Arab national security and inflicts grave harm to the Palestinian people, who are facing the occupation forces with bare chests.
Israel continues its massacres, confiscates lands, and is racing against time to Judaize the city of Jerusalem and expel its people in the implementation of the” deal of the century.
