Bahrain said yesterday that the Gulf state’s ambassador to Israel had returned home and the Israeli ambassador in Manama had left the kingdom “a while ago”, confirming an earlier statement by parliament linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in its war with Hamas which has killed thousands of people has angered Arab states who are concerned with sharply rising civilian casualties and Israel’s blockade of the densely populated coastal enclave.
The government statement did not confirm that economic ties had been severed, as the parliament had earlier stated, but said that flights between the two countries had been suspended for several weeks.
In its statement, the parliament said the moves “confirmed Bahrain’s historic position in support of the Palestinian cause”.
“The Council of Representatives affirms that the Israeli ambassador in the kingdom of Bahrain has left Bahrain and the kingdom of Bahrain has decided on the return of the Bahrain ambassador to Israel,” the parliament said in a statement.
“The cessation of economic relations was also decided,” it said, without making clear who had made the decision.
Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “We would like to clarify that no notification or decision has been received from the government of Bahrain”.
