Bahrain Halts Trade Ties With Israel, Envoys Return As War In Gaza Rages

Bahrain's lower house of parliament announced Thursday the halting of economic ties with Israel and the return of ambassadors on both sides over the Israel-Hamas war.

Bahrain's National Communication Centre (NCC), the government's media arm, confirmed the return of ambassadors "some time ago", but made no mention of trade relations.

Israel's foreign ministry said it had not been notified of any decision by Bahrain, a US ally which established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020.

"The Council of Representatives confirms that the Israeli ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain has left Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Bahrain decided to return the Bahraini ambassador from Israel to the country," a parliament statement said.

"Economic relations with Israel have also been halted," said the statement from the lower house, which does not have executive powers.

The move is "in support of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people", it said.

Abdulnabi Salman, parliament's first deputy speaker, confirmed the decision to AFP, saying the "ongoing conflict in Gaza cannot tolerate silence".

The NCC said the "priority at this stage must be focused on protecting the lives of civilians" in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Bahrain and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Under the accords, Israel also established ties with the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

"We would like to clarify that no announcement or decision has been received from the government of Bahrain and the government of Israel regarding the return of the ambassadors of these countries," Israel's foreign ministry said.

"Relations between Israel and Bahrain are stable," it added.

The move comes nearly one month after Hamas operatives killed 1,400 people and kidnapped at least 242, according to Israeli officials, in the deadliest attack in the country's history.

Since then, Israel has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip and sent in ground troops in an assault that the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed more than 9,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children.

Bahrain, which violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, has seen a series of demonstrations in recent weeks denouncing Israel's reprisal attacks.

As recently as September, Bahrain and Israel agreed to boost trade relations during a visit by Israel's foreign minister Eli Cohen to Manama to inaugurate Israel's new embassy.

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