Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, became the first Israeli Prime Minister ever to visit Bahrain, meeting high-level officials amid shared concern about Iran. This visit comes 17 months after the countries established relations under a 2020 U.S.-sponsored deal which attempts to build a coalition against Iran. Arab states have had tense relations with Israel for decades, however this visit demonstrated a normalization of ties with the country by several Arab states. The visit sparked minor protests in Bahrain in solidarity with the Palestinians regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“In this turbulent era, it is important that our region in particular sends a message of cooperation and goodwill and standing against threats together,” Bennett told reporters before flying to Bahrain on Monday.
The visit from the Israeli PM in Bahrain is only one piece of a bigger, and more complex puzzle. This overarching issue includes the Israel-Palestine conflict and the decade of tense relations between Israel and Arab states that is connected to the matter. The commitment of the two countries to come together to fight against their common enemy, Iran, makes sense, however the visit symbolizes more than that. While this visit was occurring, Palestinians are still facing identity-erasure caused by Israelis while they are being pushed out from their country. Arab states ought to continue to acknowledge this. The leaders of Bahrain can use their relationship with Israel to stand up for Palestinians and their right to their own identity and country.
Israel and Arab states experienced a decade of tense relations because of disagreements regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Several Arab countries sided with Palestine and their right to their own identity and territory, however over the years this issue has gotten more complicated as the Arab states decided they need to act in their self-interest. Bahrain recognized Israel’s right to exist, rather than Palestine’s, in 2018, potentially due to concern about Iran. This offered the normalization of ties between Israel and Bahrain, as well as between other Arab countries. Israel and Bahrain established full diplomatic relations in 2020 when they signed the “Abraham Accords.” The accords consist of a series of diplomatic deals between Israel and four Arab League Countries, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Morocco. The meeting happened between Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim monarch and the Israeli PM; it has been criticized by an opposition led by the Shi’ite majority. This majority stands with the Palestinians in the Israel-Palestine conflict. There were some resulting protests in the Shi’ite villages in Bahrain, however not much disruption was caused.
The meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister and high-level officials in Bahrain shows increasing efforts to stand united against Iran. This meeting demonstrates the thawing and reformation of relations between Israel and the Arab states after decades of tensions. However, the meeting does not reflect on the interests of all of Bahrain, as some communities stand with the Palestinian cause. The future will remain uncertain being that the Israeli-Palestine conflict is complex and continuous with reaching effects upon the entire Middle-Eastern region.
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