Bahrain suspends economic ties with Israel, envoy returns home
Manama, Nov 3 (IANS) The government in Bahrain announced that it has suspended economic ties with Israel in wake of the ongoing war in Gaza, adding that the country’s envoy to the Jewish nation has also returned home.
Israel and Bahrain had normalised their ties in 2020 under the so-called us-brokered “Abraham Accords”, reports Xinhua news agency.
In a statement late Thursday, the Arab nation’s Council of Representatives that the decisions confirmed Bahrain’s support of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinians.
However, Israel insisted that no such decision was made and that ties between the two countries remain “stable”.
“We would like to clarify that no notification or decision has been received from the government of Bahrain or the government of Israel to return the countries’ ambassadors,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Relations between Israel and Bahrain are stable,” it added.
On Tuesday, Bolivia severed its diplomatic relations with Israel, citing the Palestinian death toll in Gaza due to Israeli strikes, while Jordan, Chile, and Colombia recalled their ambassadors.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lior Haiat denounced Bolivia’s decision as “a surrender to terrorism” and accused the South American country of “aligning itself with Hamas”.
–IANS
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