Foreign Minister of Bahrain receives credentials of Israeli Ambassador-designate

The state-run Bahraini News Agency announced today that Bahrain had resumed diplomatic relations after breaking them off in solidarity with the “Palestinian” cause in the wake of the genocidal attack on Israel by the Islamic Hamas group on the 7th of October 2023.

“Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister, received, at the Ministry, the credentials of Shmuel Revel, the newly appointed Ambassador-designate of Israel to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Foreign Minister welcomed the Ambassador, wishing him success in his diplomatic duties. Dr. Al Zayani emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to support peace, security, and stability in the region.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Khaled Yousef Al Jalahma, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, and Salah Mohammed Shehab, Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, wrote the Bahrain News Agency today, the 28th of August.

Some Background about Bahrain

Bahrain is a member of the Abraham Accords (2020), which makes Bahrain a potential ally of Israel. Indeed, Bahrain has also remained relatively quiet regarding Israel’s war on Islamic terror. Bahrain does not take the side with Hamas & Co. However, Bahrain also did not expose itself to Israel.

However, noteworthy: “Bahrain’s prime minister, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, in November 2023 became the first Arab leader to publicly condemn Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, calling it “barbaric.” wrote JNS correctly.

Now, Bahrain has taken a noteworthy diplomatic step toward Israel and the USA. A diplomatic step for sure, noted and nodded in advance by the US State Department and the Prime Minister’s Office of Israel. It’s clear to many observers that Qatar will no longer be able to fulfil the role of “mediator.” A replacement is necessary. And maybe a move to more. Keyword: Israel declares sovereignty over Judea, Shomron and Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount.

Muslim Brotherhood

One could speculate that Bahrain sees and understands Washington’s pain and wants to position itself as a new partner, replacing Qatar, the main sponsor of terrorism and the Muslim Brotherhood. In Bahrain, the Muslim Brotherhood is forbidden.

From this perspective, Bahrain is certainly a better partner for the US and Israel than Qatar, whose hands are blood red. Bahrain is also not suspected of financing terrorism. Especially when you consider the efforts of numerous influential US senators, such as Tom Scott and Ted Cruz, who want to ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the USA.

Military

The facts are impressive, and Bahrain is a ready-to-go candidate to supersede Qatar.

• The U.S. military has a significant presence in Bahrain, primarily centred around Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, which serves as a key hub for U.S. naval operations in the Middle East. So, CENTCOM, based in Qatar, can be moved to Bahrain.
• Located in Manama, NSA Bahrain is the primary U.S. Navy base in the region and hosts the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the U.S. Fifth Fleet. It supports approximately 8,500 military personnel and Department of Defence civilian employees, along with 78 tenant commands, including joint and coalition forces.
• The base facilitates operations such as maritime security, counterterrorism, and logistics support for U.S. and allied forces in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area, covering the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

And the financial support for the military in Bahrain is enormous. More than double the size of Israel. The U.S. provides military assistance to Bahrain through Foreign Military Sales (FMS), with $6.08 billion in active cases, including equipment like Patriot missile defence systems, F-16 aircraft, AH-1Z attack helicopters, and TOW missiles.

Last, but not least, Bahrain is a Major Non-NATO Ally (designated in 2002), which grants it priority access to U.S. military equipment and training. Conclusion: Bahrain can easily replace Qatar as the most important US military centre – apart from Israel, of course.

Economy

Also, the economy speaks for Bahrain: The U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA), effective since 2006, has boosted bilateral trade, reaching $2.45 billion in merchandise trade and $1.5 billion in services trade in 2019.

Bahrain is the second-largest Islamic finance hub after Malaysia, with $31.4 billion in assets under management. U.S. financial institutions are active in Bahrain’s banking sector, which is the largest non-oil contributor to the economy (16.5% of GDP in 2019).

The Abraham Accords didn’t gain huge traction between Israel and Bahrain. There is a lot of space for improvement, and the opening of the Israeli embassy might be a good step. The total trade volume between Israel and Bahrain in goods from 2020 to 2024 was approximately $50.4 million, with Israel running a cumulative trade deficit of about $20.7 million, driven by higher imports from Bahrain.

Conclusion

There seems to be some movement in the Middle East, as all forces in the Middle East are clear that the time for Hamas and the like is over and has no place if the Arab Middle East wants a future beyond civil war and hopeless battles with Israel. A move to replace Qatar with Bahrain in the geostrategic power play can therefore be considered positive. A step helpful to bolster the declaration of Israeli sovereignty over Judea, Shomron and Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount. But one shouldn’t count one’s chickens before they hatch.

Pic AI generated. Symbolic/Illustrative