Bahrain recalls its ambassador to Israel over Gaza war: Parliament

Ahram Online , Thursday 2 Nov 2023

Bahrain announced officially the departure of the Israeli ambassador from the country and the recall of its ambassador from Tel Aviv, the Bahraini parliament said in a statement on Thursday.


A man carries a young victim following an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on 2 November, 2023

 

The Bahraini Council of Representatives stated that "the ongoing war, military operations, and continuous Israeli escalation in violation of international humanitarian law compel the council to take further decisions and measures to safeguard the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza and all Palestinian territories."

Bahrain, which established ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, has also suspended its economic relations with Israel.

However, Israel said that it did not receive any “announcement or decision from the Bahraini government to recall the countries’ ambassadors.”

“Israel-Bahrain relations are stable,” said the Israeli foreign ministry in an official statement.

The latest movement of the Gulf country follows recent similar actions from Jordan, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile, in strong condemnation of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and its complete refusal of a ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Jordan announced the immediate summoning of its ambassador to Tel Aviv, in protest against the Israeli war on Gaza.

Bolivia also announced on Tuesday severing its diplomatic ties with Israel as a rebuke for its bloody offensive in the Palestinian territory.

The leaders of both Colombia and Chile also spoke out on Tuesday against the Israeli "massacre" in Gaza.

"I have decided to recall our ambassador to Israel for consultation. If Israel does not stop the massacre of the Palestinian people, we cannot be there," Colombia's President Gustavo Petro wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Chile, which has the largest Palestinian population outside the Arab world, said on Tuesday it was recalling its ambassador to Israel in protest against Israel's "unacceptable violations of international humanitarian law."

Other Latin American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, have also increased their criticism of the impact that Israeli occupation army operations are having on civilians in Gaza.

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