Bahrain participates in virtual meeting organised by Israeli-American Council

Washington, Feb. 23 (BNA): The Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the USA participated virtually in a function organised by the Israeli-American Council on the Abraham Accords Declaration, which was held under the theme "Diplomacy for the Future". The embassy’s Senior Secretary, Talal Ibrahim Al-Absi, Head of the Communications and Public Diplomacy Department of the UAE embassy in Washington, Hessa Butti Al-Shuwaihi, and Spokesperson of the embassy of the State of Israel, Elad Strohmayer, participated in the function. At the beginning of the discussion, the Bahraini embassy noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain is an important ally of the USA and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. It added the kingdom is committed to maintaining regional and international security and hosts the Joint Maritime Forces and the International Alliance for the Security and Protection of Freedom of Navigation. It also stressed that achieving peace is the strategic choice for the Kingdom of Bahrain, adding that the reform approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa preserved the principles of peace, dialogue and peaceful coexistence as well as the authentic aspects of the Bahraini society such as respect of religious freedom, pluralism and peaceful coexistence. The embassy further highlighted that His Majesty the King has important international initiatives in this field, including the establishment of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity, the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration for Religious Tolerance, which was announced at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, and the establishment of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence. In this context, the Bahraini embassy affirmed that the royal vision had a fundamental role in the important and courageous historical step of signing a declaration supporting peace with the State of Israel. It pointed out growing cooperation between both countries in various economic, environmental and technological fields. It noted that the landmark step has also led to an important regional social progress with the recent announcement of the establishment of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, which is chaired by Ebrahim Nonoo, a former member of the Shura Council. It pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain is represented in this association by Ambassador Houda Nonoo, adding that this resulted in the establishment of Beth Dina of Arabia, which is the first Jewish court specialised in settling personal status disputes such as inheritance, as well as the launch of the Arabian Kosher Certification Agency. Regarding the peace process in the Middle East, the embassy clarified that the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain is still committed to the Arab peace initiative and the two-state solution leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the historic step taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain is to bring the region closer to achieving a just and comprehensive peace.