Gulf rulers embrace Israel at Kushner’s Bahrain workshop

Bahrain’s foreign minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa shakes hands with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. (Twitter)


Tamara Nassar -28 June 2019

After much anticipation and few expectations, the US-sponsored conference in Bahrain’s capital Manama ended on Wednesday.

Despite the lack of official Palestinian and Israeli representation at the gathering to launch the US-backed “Peace to Prosperity” plan for Palestinians, the conference featured unprecedented manifestations of warmth between Israel and Gulf governments.

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar attended, as well as low-level delegates from Jordan and Egypt.

US presidential adviser and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed the economic component of a yet to be fully unveiled peace plan in an attempt to garner financial backing for it.

“Peace to Prosperity” was published by the White House last week.

Iran at the core

On Wednesday, US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin was joined on stage by the finance ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the host state.

It was notable that Qatar was not invited to the table despite its minister of finance Ali Sharif Al Emadi being present at the conference.

Mnuchin highlighted the countries’ joint alliance against Iran and the establishment of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center by the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman in Riyadh earlier this year.

“Not only are we here talking about peace and prosperity but we are sitting in a region right now that is under threat from bad actors that are exporting terrorists around the world,” he said.

The treasury secretary expressed confidence that the US could raise the funds for the $50 billion deal – which has been described as an attempt to buy Palestinian rights for peanuts.

“I know there is a lot of money in this room,” Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin’s words echo the attitude of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman towards the Palestinian issue as a mere nuisance standing in the way of closer ties with Israel in order to confront Iran.

“Israel’s never attacked us,” and “we share a common enemy,” bin Salman reportedly told US officials in more than one meeting, Adam Entous reported for The New Yorker last year.

“We’re going to get the deal done,” bin Salman reportedly told an American visitor to Riyadh in 2017. “I’m going to deliver the Palestinians and he” – Trump – “is going to deliver the Israelis.”

Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon echoed the sentiment on Fox News on Tuesday, saying Israel would “absolutely” collaborate with Gulf states “against the aggression coming from Iran. It is a threat to Israel. It is a threat to the stability of the Middle East.”

LISTEN: @BenjaminHallFNC spoke with @dannydanon after the U.S. slaps new "hard hitting" sanctions on Iran #nine2noon pic.twitter.com/l3cEKvGKN0

— America's Newsroom (@AmericaNewsroom) 25 June 2019

Danon penned an op-ed in The New York Times on Monday calling for Palestinian “surrender” and asserting that “a national suicide of the Palestinians’ current political and cultural ethos is precisely what is needed for peace.”

Read More