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Historical agreement with Bahrain
With Sunni rule and a Shiite majority, Bahrain sees Iran as an existential threat
The Little Princess in the Gulf fears Tehran's agitation and relies on Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, which helped it suppress an Arab Spring uprising.
She often speaks out in favor of Israel and has been labeled as going after Abu Dhabi under pressure from the United States, which holds an important base in the country.
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Bahrain
United States
Iran
Guy Elster
Friday, 11 September 2020, 20:41
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Bahrain has been marked as the clear favorite to go after the UAE and normalize with Israel.
The Little Princess in the Persian Gulf, which is ruled by a Sunni dynasty while most of its citizens are Shiites, has spoken out in favor of Israel many times in recent years when it comes to its struggle against Iran and its allies.
It hosted the Palestinian Economic Summit last year, as part of the Trump administration's peace initiative, although it was confiscated by the Palestinian Authority.
In recent weeks, it has been visited by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Jared Kushner's son-in-law, who met with the king and the regent and asked them to announce normalization even before the signing ceremony at the White House of Israel-UAE agreement, scheduled for Monday evening.
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Joins Saudi Arabia: Bahrain will allow flights between the Emirates and Israel to pass through its territory
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The United States is expected to issue a statement agreeing to normalization between Israel and Bahrain
Trump and King of Bahrain at a meeting in Riyadh, 2017 (Photo: AP)
The principality relies on U.S. defense, and is home to the base of the Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for maritime operations in the Strategic Persian Gulf region.
Bahrain, which means "two days" in Hebrew, sees Iran as an existential threat and blames it for a series of terrorist attacks that have taken place in its territory in recent years.
The principality has arrested many opposition activists in recent years, as part of the repression of dissidents that culminated in 2011 after widespread popular protests during the "Arab Spring" by the Shiite majority that felt discriminated against.
Bahrain, where only about 1.5 million people live, would not have been able to quell the demonstrations without the help of its Sunni neighbors in the Gulf, who sent forces through the bridge connecting Saudi Arabia to the country.
Bahrain also joined Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the 2017 boycott of Qatar, which continues to this day.
Therefore, it is difficult to assume that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman did not give Bahrain the green light to publish its relations with Israel.
It has already agreed to join Saudi Arabia and open its airspace to flights from Israel.
Iran, which has expressed outrage over the normalization between the Emirates and Israel and warned Abu Dhabi against giving a foothold in the Gulf, is expected to respond similarly to the agreement with Bahrain.
Normalization between countries has been preceded by rapprochement in recent years.
The King of Bahrain, Hemed bin Issa al-Khalifa, who has been on the throne since 1999, has appointed American rabbi Mark Schneier as special envoy, declaring that there is no leader in the region who is more concerned with establishing relations with Israel and harnessing the region's initiatives.
According to him, the king told him in 2016: "Our only hope for a moderate and strong Arab voice in the Gulf is a strong Israel."
The King of Bahrain also sent an interfaith delegation to Jerusalem, not long after Trump recognized it as the capital of Israel and established the United States Embassy there.
That visit was criticized by parts of the Arab world as well as by some voices in Bahrain, although the media there are controlled by the royal house.
According to human rights organizations, Bahrain also enjoys a dubious Israeli product that has reached various tyrannical countries around the world in recent years: NSO's Pegasus spyware, which helps track regime dissidents and activists.
Several activists have been executed in recent years after being convicted of terrorist offenses, despite harsh criticism from international human rights organizations and local opposition organizations.
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