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The world – Bahrain
The writer explained that Tel Aviv is diplomatically active through a front company listed as a business consulting firm, noting that the matter has been kept confidential for 11 years under banning orders from the Israeli occupation government, indicating that a Short report showed this on Israel’s Channel 11 news last week.
The story began with negotiations over a possible secret diplomatic mission in 2007-2008 through a series of secret meetings between Israel’s then-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and her Bahraini counterpart Khaled al-Khalifa.
Israeli officials said their close relationship, coupled with the decision by their regional opponent Qatar to close the Israeli diplomatic mission in Doha, convinced the authorities to agree to the opening of a secret Israeli mission in Manama.
On July 13, 2009, a company called “Center for International Development” was registered in Bahrain. It was a facade covering Israeli diplomacy.
According to Bahrain’s public records, the company provided marketing, business promotion and investment services. But the company changed its name in 2013 and the current name was not disclosed for security reasons.
According to the company’s website, it provides advisory services to Western companies interested in non-oil investments in the Gulf states, particularly in the fields of medical technology, renewable energy, food safety and information technology.
The site claims that the company’s strong network of contacts in Bahrain and the region helps it close deals. In fact, the company employed a very specific type of employee: Israeli diplomats with dual citizenship.
One taxpayer listed in the public records is Brett Jonathan Miller, a South African who was appointed Consul General of the Israeli entity in Mumbai in 2013.
The second contributor, Edo Moide, is a Belgian citizen who today works as an online coordinator for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The company’s board of directors was led by Ilan Floss, who is British and is now Deputy Director General for Economic Affairs at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2018, the company appointed a new CEO, a US citizen who cannot be identified. He was recently replaced by another Israeli diplomat with dual citizenship.
Only a small group of senior Bahraini officials knew about the secret mission. The writer noted that he was told by Israeli officials that the secret mission had already promoted hundreds of trade deals concluded by Israeli companies in Bahrain. It also served as a secret communication channel for the Israeli entity.
And last Sunday, minutes after signing a joint statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations in Manama, an Israeli official handed the Bahraini Foreign Minister a memorandum requesting the opening of a royal embassy in Manama.
Israeli officials say the infrastructure is already in place, largely thanks to the covert mission.
“All we have to do is change the sign on the door,” one told Axios to Axios.
