Bahrain has taken a significant and unexpected step by recalling its ambassador to Israel and suspending economic ties with Tel Aviv. This bold decision was officially announced by the Bahraini parliament on Thursday, marking a departure from the path it had charted just a few years earlier.
The statement released on the Bahraini parliament website confirmed that the Israeli ambassador has already left Bahrain, in response to which Bahrain has reciprocated by calling back its ambassador from Israel.
In addition to these diplomatic measures, Bahrain has chosen to suspend all economic relations with Israel after Parliament’s decision.
The reasoning behind these actions is rooted in what the statement referred to as the kingdom’s “solid and historical stance that supports the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”
This move by Bahrain is particularly striking in light of the Abraham Accord signed in September 2020. Bahrain, along with the United Arab Emirates, inked this historic agreement with Israel during a ceremony hosted by the then-President Donald Trump in the United States. The primary goal of the Abraham Accord was to normalize diplomatic and economic relations between these Arab nations and Israel, which was later joined by Sudan and Morocco.
Bahrain Israel relations were normalized after the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accord was brokered by the United States with the intention of achieving broader recognition of Israel within the Arab world. It was anticipated that the accords would pave the way for trade agreements and military cooperation, with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates initiating these arrangements in 2020.
However, Bahrain’s recent decision to recall its ambassador and suspend economic ties with Israel has shaken the foundations of this diplomatic framework, raising questions about the future of these once-promising agreements.
Several countries in Middle East and Latin America have expelled Israeli Ambassadors over warcrimes in Gaza since October 7th.