‘This is Bahrain’ in hot water over Israeli trip
Manama : The ongoing visit of a Bahraini delegation to Israel drew nationwide condemnation during the past two days, especially that its members were received and accompanied by Israeli officials, and not Palestinians.
“This is Bahrain”, a civil society interfaith group, which is on a four-day visit to Israel, calls for globally promoting religious freedom, coexistence and tolerance.
The group members appeared on Israeli TV channels in a visit that was said to be official and at a time when Arab and Muslim capitals are boiling over US President Donald Trump’s recent controversial declaration of Al Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel.
They were shown while touring the alleys and markets of the old city.
This has been the most discussed matter in Bahrain since Saturday, the day when footage showing several members of the group speaking to Israeli news channels went viral online.
The delegation included people from different religions, sects, churches, temples and groups living in Bahrain.
They were accompanied by ‘This is Bahrain’ President Betsy Mathieson.
‘Message of peace’
While speaking to Israeli journalists, group member and Shite Scholar Fadhel Fateel said, “Our message is a message of peace to everywhere in the world. Shiites in Bahrain and other countries don’t have any grudge or hate against any religion or sect. We come to Al Quds to carry with us a message of peace and to visit this historic and religious landmark.”
Mathieson also appeared in the same televised report saying, “We come here to the historic ancient city of Jerusalem to carry with us a message of peace.”
Public uproar
The visit created a wave of anger among the different segments of the Bahraini society, becoming the most trending topic on local social media networks.
Thousands of Bahrainis condemned the visit and considered it as “a step towards the normalisation with Israel” and reiterated the Bahraini stance towards the Palestinian cause since the 1940s, rejecting Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.
Some of them even demanded the closure of the society as they claimed that “it is insulting to the history and reputation of the Kingdom by adopting such unwelcome initiatives.”
Additionally, they shared old pictures showing Bahrainis protesting and taking part in Arab-Israeli war in the 1940s, to further emphasise on the stance of the people of Bahrain towards the Arabism of the Palestinian lands.
The matter also escalated as several lawmakers pledged to hold the group accountable for the “shameful visit”. This included Second Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Abdulhalim Murad, the council’s Permanent Committee for the Support of the Palestinian People Committee Chairman Mohammed Al Emmadi, MP Ghazi Al Rahma to mention a few.
Al Rahma commented on his official page on Twitter that “the group doesn’t represent the people of Bahrain and it should be disowned”.
“This is Bahrain, by its action, have humiliated all Bahrainis, and this matter will not casually pass through. Holding it accountable for its heinous act is a national duty,” Al Rahma said while pledging to take action against the group.
‘No official visit’
In its first response to the online frenzy, ‘This is Bahrain’ affirmed in a written statement that “the visit isn’t official” and that “the delegation isn’t representing any official establishment”.
The statement read, “This is Bahrain delegation visiting Israel and comprising of expatriates from various religious affiliations living in Bahrain does not represent any official entity”.
“With reference to reports carried by some media and social networking sites about the visit of a delegation from ‘This is Bahrain’ to Israel and Occupied Jerusalem, the society confirms that the delegation, which includes some foreign nationals from different religions residing in the Kingdom of Bahrain, does not represent any official body in the Kingdom. The delegation represents solely the society and has undertaken the visit on its own initiative,” the society said in its statement.
It also mentioned, “The initiative by ‘This is Bahrain’ is based on the principle of tolerance and coexistence, an approach embraced by the Kingdom of Bahrain and a feature of its society, and aims to visit Islamic, Christian, Jewish and other holy sites across the world.”
Fateel stressed on the same and clarified further by tweeting, “Firstly, the visit of Al Aqsa Mosque is desirable for every Muslim, and secondly, it is a religious delegation, not a political one. Thirdly, the delegation stressed the position of His Majesty the King on the just Palestinian issue and that Al Quds is the capital of occupied Palestine and fourthly there is no normalisation or any letter to Israel with us. Fifthly, there is no fair media coverage and the source has fabricated our speech.”
“We are not a government delegation and we don’t believe in the normalisation with the Zionists. I represent only myself and the statement was cropped and edited. Bottom-line is that we attended a religious conference for tolerance and coexistence and visited the Al Aqsa Mosque and we affirmed the right of the Palestinian people in their state with Al Quds as its capital,” Fateel added.
Not kicked out
Several Palestinian and regional news agencies reported that the delegation was asked to leave the premises of Al Aqsa Mosque by the Palestinian Endowments. However, this couldn’t be confirmed.
Despite Fateel’s confirmation of visiting the mosque, a member of the group told DT New that “they weren’t asked to leave the mosque as they didn’t even visit it”.
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