Palestinian Ambassador Recalled From Manama After Bahrain Agrees to Normalize Ties With Israel

Following the normalization of relations between Israel and Bahrain, Palestine's ambassador to Manama was recalled to Ramallah on Friday.

On Friday, just weeks after its Persian Gulf neighbor the United Arab Emirates extended recognition and full diplomatic relations to Israel, the Kingdom of Bahrain did the same. In response, the Palestinian Authority has ordered its diplomatic envoy to the island nation to return home and threatened to do the same to any other Arab nation that recognizes Israel.

Similar to the UAE, Bahrain is a close US ally and hosts large US military bases; both were also encouraged to recognize Israel over the objections of other Arab states by the US, which brokered both deals.

After the Israel-UAE deal, Palestinian leaders denounced Abu Dhabi's actions as "stabbing them in the back."

Few Muslim nations have been willing to recognize Israel since its creation in 1948, after which it fought a war against Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, as many other Arab nations sent troops or material to support the struggle. Israel triumphed, and in doing so, forced out nearly 700,000 Palestinian Arabs - nearly half the territory's population - in an event Palestinians refer to as "al-Nakba," or "the catastrophe."