Hosting rollout of peace plan, Bahrain says it backs Palestinians

Bahrain, which is hosting the rollout of the first part of the US administration’s Middle East peace plan, on Monday reiterates its principled support for the Palestinian cause.

In a statement, the tiny Gulf state’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa “underscored the position of the Kingdom of Bahrain in support of the Palestinian cause and the aspirations of the Palestinian people.”

Khalifa, who in the past raised eyebrows in the Arab world with his pro-Israel statements, stresses that his country “stands by all efforts that would lead to investment in infrastructure and the development of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and enable the Palestinian people to prosper.”

On Monday, Bahrain and the US jointly announced that they will host an economic “workshop” for international government, civil society and business leaders to “share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement.”

During the summit, set to take place in the Bahraini capital Manama on June 25-June 26, the US is expected to present the first part of its long-anticipated peace proposal. Its second part, which will deal with the political issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be revealed at a later stage, according to the White House.

— Raphael Ahren