Israeli foreign minister took the second direct flight between Israel and Bahrain to open the Israeli Embassy in Manama. The controversial move occurs amid local dissatisfaction with the normalization of ties in Bahrain, generally branded as a treason to the Arab world.
Yair Lapid inaugurated Israeli embassy in one of the first Arab countries on Thursday. Israeli foreign minister established the embassy in Manama, one year after Israel and Bahrain normalized the ties. In a tweet following the move, Lapid said, “We have officially opened the Israeli embassy in Bahrain. We agreed that by the end of the year, there will be the opening of the Bahraini embassy in Israel.”
Lapid landed at Bahraini capital just after the first commercial flight between the two nations. The first flight was a Gulf Air flight in the opposite direction and landed in Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv.
Lapid visited King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa after on arrival. Along with the king, Bahraini PM visited the Israeli foreign minister too. Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa is also the crown prince of Bahrain. A year
A year earlier, former leader of the United States and Israel secured normalization accords between Israel and some Arab nations including UAE and Bahrain. The Abraham Accords took effect in September 2021 before being joined by other parties.
Morocco and Sudan were other parties to the accords who joined late in 2020 and early in 2021. Lapid also visited the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, a move taken as a signal to unity against Iran.
Bahrain, formerly an official part of Iranian soils, has taken sharp positions against Iran in the past years. The strategy towards Israel and Palestine shows that Bahrain’s strategy is far from seeking national or regional interests.
Israeli Embassy in the Arab World
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani and Lapid also conducted a joint press conference after opening the Israeli embassy. They inked a variety of memorandums of understanding spanning from environmental protection to sports collaboration.
The Bahraini sided praised his counterpart’s presence in Manama saying “your visit builds on the considerable progress we have already made … and underlines once again our shared desire to spread peace, stability, and cooperation across the Middle East and achieve genuine and lasting security and prosperity for its peoples.”
Al-Zayani further said that Manama maintains its adherence to a two-state solution to the conflict in Palestinian occupied lands. In a contradictory remark, the Israeli counterpart said he is a dedicated advocate of initiative, but also noted that this is not an official administrative approach.
Referring to the local differences in Israeli political apparatus, Lapid said “I think it’s the right solution for the people of Israel and the Palestinians, as well. Not everyone in our government thinks the same.” Lapid actually referred to the issue that has plagued the Palestine, along with the regions, in the past decades.
The international solution for the Palestinian conflict has been asserted in multiple conferences. Israel, however, adopted an ambiguous policy of ‘Carrot and stick’, through which it attempts to take more concessions. Israeli politicians emulate an air of difference to attract the global community while keeping on suppressing the decision and solutions.
Normalization, along with opening Israeli embassy, is part of a grand plan to take more control over the decision-making process. Israeli foreign minister’s remarks prove that there is no normalization with Palestine in sight. Normalization target non-Palestine Arab countries to contain the negative positons against Tel Aviv. As such, Arab nations of Persian Gulf region play in Israel’s filed.
