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Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa said Friday night that the war in Gaza was an “unbearable situation” and called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
Israel laid siege to the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 240 hostages.
Prince Salman said hostages held by Hamas should be released immediately in exchange for prisoners held in Israel. Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords with Israel three years ago, said it “must do everything in its power to reach a solution.”
“I don’t think any Arab leader called on Hamas to do this,” he added. “So now is the time to speak up.”
Speaking ahead of the annual Manama Dialogue and Security Summit, the crown prince said there was a need to bring “days, weeks, months, maybe even years of peace and tranquility” to the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s shelling of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 11,500 people, mostly civilians. Aid groups said Gazans were facing starvation as food and water became virtually non-existent.
The crown prince said the Koran and Torah “both prohibit the killing of civilians.”
Prince Salman added that there are red lines in Bahrain that must not be crossed for both sides of the conflict.
“The important thing is very clear that there must be no forced displacement of Palestinians now or in the future,” he said.
“There must be no reoccupation or reduction of Gaza, and on the other hand, there must be no terror directed against Israelis from Gaza.
“We need to break the cycle of violence between both Palestinians and Israelis.”
The crown prince warned that Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan gave birth to al-Qaeda and the US invasion of Iraq gave rise to ISIS.
“Think about what this creates in the age of social media. I think the next 20 years are going to be even more difficult,” he said.
Prince Salman called for a two-state solution, saying it was the only way to end the decades-long conflict.
“The United States is essential in leading this process,” he said, referring to a two-state solution.
Updated: November 17, 2023, 7:05 p.m.