RadioFree
i24NEWS
Bahraini government says minister has been replaced in reshuffle
Bahrain’s king has fired a minister for refusing to shake hands with Israel’s envoy to the country, Al Mayadeen news reported saturday.
A Bahraini government contradicted the report and said the official had been replaced as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle.
The Gulf kingdom normalized ties with Israel in 2020 from historic agreements known as the Abraham Accords. The other signatories to the agreement negotiated through Washington are the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
According to Al Mayadeen, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, the sovereign ruler of the kingdom, fired Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa as Bahrain’s minister of culture and antiquities for his refusal to shake hands with Eitan Na’eh, Israel’s ambassador in Manama.
According to the controversial report, the incident that tasked the minister with occurred in June during the funeral of the father of U. S. Ambassador Steven C. Bondy, and reflected his general opposition to normalizing relations with Israel.
A high-level Israeli showed the story to i24NEWS.
However, a Bahraini government source issued a warning in reaction to the report: “The far-reaching adjustments announced this week within a number of government agencies adhere to the largest cabinet reshuffle in the Kingdom’s history, in which 17 of the 22 ministers replaced their positions. “
“The Government wishes to emphasize that the former Chairman of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, S. Mr. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, served in the government for more than 20 years with distinction. The Government also notes that updates to leadership positions within public sector bodies are not misunderstood, whether in the media or elsewhere.
Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization that sees Israel as an implacable enemy, praised the reported snub as a “real reflection of the original position of the other people of Bahrain in favor of the Palestinians. “
X
RadioFree
Information
Categories
Legal
Follow
Subscribe to the newsletter