Iran: Bahrain’s welcoming of Israeli FM ‘clear betrayal’ of Palestinian cause

International Desk

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Friday said Bahrain's welcoming of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Manama is a “clear betrayal” of the Palestinian cause.

“The Bahraini government's welcoming of the fake Zionist regime's foreign minister is a clear betrayal of the oppressed and resilient Palestinian people’s cause,” Amir-Abdollahian tweeted.

The top diplomat warned that Israel would “undoubtedly bring only insecurity to Bahrain and the region”. 

He noted that Iran only knows “one country called Palestine” with Al-Quds as its capital.

Lapid arrived in Bahrain on Thursday to open the Israeli Embassy in Manama and sign cooperation deals with the tiny country.

He met Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Lapid’s visit to Bahrain is aimed at advancing the US-pushed normalization deals, called Abraham Accords, between Israel and a number of Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco.

The Israeli diplomat has already opened the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and promised to establish an embassy in Rabat soon. Sudan’s foreign minister said over the weekend that her country has no plans to open an Israeli embassy in Khartoum, Press TV wrote.

Earlier on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement that Lapid’s visit to Manama is at odds with the will of the Bahraini people, stressing that the visit left an “unremovable stain” on the reputation of the Persian Gulf country’s rulers.

Khatibzadeh said any scheme to bolster Israel’s “destructive presence” in the region will escalate regional tensions and instability.

Khatibzadeh lamented Bahrain’s ignoring of Israel’s daily atrocities against the oppressed yet resistant people of Palestine.

“Such actions will not give a boost to the legitimacy of the Zionist regime and will not affect the ideal of liberating Al-Quds al-Sharif as the first qibla of the world’s Muslims,” he said.

The spokesman also emphasized that Bahraini rulers will not be able to remove the mark of disgrace.

“The people of the region will continue to oppose the process of normalization of relations with the Zionist regime,” he added.

‘Treason’

On Thursday night, Bahraini people staged protests against Lapid’s visit, holding placards condemning normalization with Israel.

The protesters shouted “Down with Israel” and “Get out of Bahrain” to protest the normalization of ties with Israel, local media reported.

Palestinians denounced the so-called Abraham Accords, calling them a “backstab” and a betrayal of their cause.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior leader of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said Lapid’s visit can be “summed up in one word, which is treason.”

Zahar censured the visit as a betrayal “first and foremost to God” and secondly to the people of the Persian Gulf.

“Before you normalize ties with Israel, ask the people whether they agree with what their leaders are doing or not,” he said.

He added the leaders of the Arab countries that signed normalization accords with Israel are pinning their hopes on the US and want to please Washington.