It has been learned that about a month ago, President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met in New York wit King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain. This was the highest level meeting ever held between Israeli leaders and a leader of Bahrain, a Persian Gulf state that maintains diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel does diplomatically operate in the Persian Gulf openly, but generally and very quietly maintains a diplomatic representation in Doha, the capital of Qatar. In the past, there was also a facility in Muscat, the capital of Oman, which was closed at the start of the so-called Second Intifada in Israel.

There are also diplomatic visits to a number of Persian Gulf nations, clandestine relations since these countries do not openly maintain relations with Israel. Doing so openly would compromise their position in the Arab world. This category includes Bahrain, but the diplomatic relations have not led to the opening of embassies.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)