Israel offers Bahrain condolences on death of long-serving prime minister

Israel’s top officials offered their condolences to the kingdom of Bahrain Wednesday after its long-serving prime minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa died at the age of 84.

Al Khalifa’s death came a day after the Knesset formally approved a normalization treaty between Israel and Bahrain that was signed last month.

“In my name and on behalf of the Israeli people, I offer my sincere condolences to the King of Bahrain, His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the royal family, and the entire Bahraini people,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in Arabic on his dedicated Twitter feed in that language.

“May God have mercy on him,” Netanyahu wrote. “I also offer my sincere condolences and sympathy to his family.”

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi also tweeted his condolences in Arabic to the kingdom, its ruling family and its people, asking that “the Almighty bless the deceased with his mercy.”

Al Khalifa, he wrote, “served the Bahraini people with wisdom and honor.”

Defense Ministry Benny Gantz tweeted in English that he was “saddened by news this morning of the passing of Bahrain’s long-serving prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and offer my thoughts and sympathies to his family and to the people of Bahrain.”

On Tuesday the Knesset approved Israel’s agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations with Bahrain with an overwhelming majority.

Sixty-two lawmakers voted in favor; 14 — all from the predominantly-Arab Joint List party — opposed the agreement. There were no abstentions.

The so-called “Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic, peaceful, and friendly relations” will now head back to the cabinet, where it is expected to be ratified with unanimous support.

During the plenum session Ashkenazi announced that Bahrain’s top diplomat, Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, was planning to visit Israel in the near future.

Israel and Bahrain signed the Joint Communiqué, which is not legally a treaty but rather a “framework agreement,” on October 18. However, with the signing of the document, Israel and Bahrain formally established diplomatic relations, Israeli officials said at the time.

Aside from Bahrain Israel recently signed a normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and is also in the midst of establishing ties with Sudan.

Prince Khalifa was a controversial figure during his five decades in office — and deeply unpopular with the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s Shiite population. He was also dogged by accusations of corruption.

When Shiite-led protesters occupied Manama’s Pearl Square for a month in 2011, before being driven out by Saudi-backed security forces, their main demand was for Khalifa to step down.

He played a key role in Bahrain’s political and economic affairs, including setting the stage for a referendum that put paid to the shah of Iran’s claims to the tiny Gulf archipelago.

But the prime minister, who was accused by dissidents of opposing reforms and cracking down on activists, adopted a lower profile in recent years as his age advanced and as Crown Prince Salman played a more prominent role.

Prince Khalifa died at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States, the official Bahrain News Agency said.