Rabbis say Bahrain king wants Arab boycott of Israel to end
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Hosting a Los Angeles event with the son of Bahrain’s king, two prominent U.S. rabbis let something slip to those in attendance: the ruler of the island nation thinks the longtime boycott of Israel by Arab countries should end.
The rabbis’ revelation of the king’s opinion shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, however. Arab nations slowly have inched closer to Israel in recent years, in part because both sides remain incredibly suspicious of Iran’s intentions as the wars in Iraq and Syria wind down.
Bahrain may prove to be the test case for other Gulf Arab nations about coming out of the closet about their mutual interests. It also allows the kingdom, still silent about the rabbis’ comments, to draw attention away from its internal crackdown on dissent, which largely targets its Shiite majority.
Bahrain, an island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia connected by a 25-kilometre (15.5-mile) causeway, long has been known as more libertine than its ultraconservative neighbour. Its bars and nightclubs attract cross-border traffic, as well as sailors based there with the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.