The King of Bahrain has paid a visit to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that the Gulf state is committed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to state media, in an implicit rejection of Washington’s pressure on Arab countries to rapidly normalize ties with Israel.
The top US diplomat was in Manama on Wednesday as part of a Middle East campaign aimed at forging more ties between Israel and the Arab world on the back of a US-mediated deal with the United Arab Emirates earlier. this month.
The agreement – whereby the UAE de third Arab country to agree to relations with Israel to Egypt and Jordan – was beaten by the Palestinians.
Before Bahrain, Pompeo was in Sudan where Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said on Tuesday that his transitional government had “no mandate” to take the step of establishing relations with Israel.
And on Wednesday, Bahrain reiterated the feelings of its ally and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia that agreement with Israel would not materialize without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
According to the official News Agency of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa told Pompeo that his country remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative – which calls for the complete withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territories occupied after 1967, in exchange for peace and the full normalization of relations.
“The King emphasizes the importance of intensifying efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict according to the two-state solution … for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital, ”the agency reported.
Pompeo said in a Twitter post that he was discussing with the royal rulers of Bahrain on my own the “importance of building regional peace and stability” and “counteracting the evil influence of Iran”.
Met today with Crown Prince of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. We discussed the importance of building regional peace and stability, including the importance of Gulf unity and counteracting the malicious influence of Iran in the region.
– Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 26, 2020
Manama, whose contacts with Israel date back to the 1990s, was the first Gulf country to welcome the UAE’s approach and was considered by some observers to be a leader in its footsteps.
Like most Gulf states, Bahrain shares Israel a common enemy in Iran, accusing Manama of inciting protests by the nation’s Shiite Muslim community against the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa dynasty.
But the UAE’s controversial move has met with criticism from some parts of the Arab world, with the Palestinian leadership condemning it as a “stab in the back” – and even US allies in the region have been cautious in her reply.
Pompeo in the UAE
Saudi Arabia, although not condemning the UAE-Israel deal, refused to normalize normal ties until Israel signed an internationally recognized peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Other Gulf states, including Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, also face barriers to warming ties with Israel, said Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
She said in these countries “popular opposition to normalization is still quite high”, despite colder sentiment for the Palestinian cause among some quarters of the youth, especially in Saudi Arabia.
After Bahrain, Pompeo went to the UAE, the last stop of his tour.
“Meet Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan to congratulate her on the Abraham Accords and to discuss building regional peace and stability, including supporting a ceasefire in Libya and Golf unit, “he tweeted Wednesday,
On Tuesday, he spoke by telephone with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, who is seen as the driving force behind the agreement with Israel, who are still waiting for negotiations on a number of details before it is officially signed.
The two discussed the deal “and the prospects for strengthening it in a way that serves the foundations of peace and stability in the region,” said Emirati’s official news agency WAM.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied reports that the UAE deal depends on the sale of US F-35 stealth fighter jets to the Emirates, and says he opposes a move that would jeopardize Israel’s strategic edge. the region may shrink.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
.
