Under heavy security and in coordination with Foreign Ministry, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar visited the Arab state, met with religious leaders.

Ben Ariel, 10/12/19 02:15

The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, visited Bahrain in recent days.

During the visit, the rabbi met with the King of Bahrain and with religious figures from Arab countries with whom Israel has no diplomatic relations.

A special reception was held for Rabbi Amar by the Bahraini government, under heavy security which was pre-arranged with the Foreign Ministry.

The rabbi also spoke at a conference of religious leaders from around the world – including Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Russia, the United States, Italy, Thailand and India.

“The peoples in the Middle East want peace with Israel and for the leadership to promote it. The Jewish faith includes the value of peace that we all want,” the rabbi said.

While Bahrain does not have formal relations with Israel, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz recently held a first public meeting with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during a visit to Washington.

Al Khalifa said in an interview on Israeli television several months ago that “Israel is historically part of the heritage of this whole region. So the Jewish people have a place amongst us.”

Later, however, he reaffirmed his country’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to an independent Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.

Source: Arutz Sheva