Senior Hamas official Basem Naim has strongly denounced the Bahraini leadership for receiving Israeli president Isaac Herzog whom he described as “the leader of the largest terrorist entity in the world.”
“Manama has been known for its alignment with Palestine throughout history and this reception has taken place while the blood of our youths is flowing like rivers because of their exposure to extrajudicial executions at the hands of Israelis across our Palestinian cities and villages” Naim stated in press remarks on Sunday.
The Hamas official also said that Herzog’s visit to Manama happened as Israel persists in violating the sanctity of the Islamic holy sites especially the Aqsa Mosque and after the Arab masses clearly voiced their rejection of any form of normalization with the occupation state during the current World Cup tournament in Qatar.
He expressed his regret that some Arab rulers try to ignore their peoples and falsify their will.
“The legitimacy and permanence of any ruling authority are derived from the people’s will and not from relying on the Ummah’s enemies and their schemes” he said.
Herzog arrived in Bahrain on Sunday for the first official visit to the Gulf country by an Israeli president. He held talks with Bahraini king Hamad Al Khalifa and crown prince Salman Al Khalifa.
His visit to Manama comes more than two years after Israel and Bahrain normalized relations as part of the US-brokered Abraham accords.
