Amid the Gaza war, governments across the region that have sought stronger ties with Israel are under pressure.
Bahrain confirmed it had recalled its ambassador from Israel, where the escalating war in Gaza poses a challenge for the regional government, which has pursued closer ties with Israel.
Following an earlier statement from Bahrain’s House of Representatives, the government confirmed on Thursday that the ambassador had returned home and that the Israeli ambassador in Manama had departed “some time ago.”
A parliamentary advisory body with no authority in the field of foreign policy announced earlier in the day that economic ties with Israel had also been severed. But Israel said its relations with Bahrain were “stable.”
The Manama government statement said it would temporarily suspend flights between the two countries, but made no mention of severing economic ties.
The decision follows weeks of protests across the Middle East, where Israel’s shelling of the besieged Gaza Strip has strained relations with countries such as Bahrain and come under pressure. Jordan also recalled its ambassador to Israel earlier this week.
In recent years, countries such as Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have moved to normalize relations with Israel and strengthen economic and military cooperation.
These agreements, known as the Abraham Accords, have been strongly promoted by the United States as a step toward a more peaceful Middle East.
Critics have accused Israel of ignoring public opinion by striking deals with authoritarian governments, allowing Israel to benefit from increased cooperation without addressing its decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory. .
Following an agreement between Morocco and Israel, the United States has granted autonomy to the long-disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The US government also removed Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring “terrorism” after normalizing relations, providing a lifeline to the country’s military government, which has cracked down on pro-democracy protests and battles runaway inflation.
The contrast between public opinion and the government’s desire to benefit from stronger ties with Israel has become sharper in recent weeks, as protesters have taken to the streets across the Middle East in solidarity with Palestinians. ing.
In Bahrain, where protests are largely tolerated, demonstrators marched to the Israeli embassy and activists called for the normalization deal to be scrapped.
The Gaza war is also slowing progress toward a possible normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“I think this normalization trend is likely to slow down or come to a halt,” Stephen Cook, senior fellow for Middle East and African studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Associated Press last month.