Bahrain reaffirmed its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative Wednesday in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited the country as part of a larger regional tour.
According to the official Bahrain News Agency, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa "stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict according to the two-state solution."
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walks with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his visit to Manama, Bahrain, August 26, 2020
(Photo: Reuters)
He called for a peace that would lead to the establishment of "an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the legal international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative."
The Arab Peace Initiative, a brief platform endorsed by the Arab League in 2002, sets the return to the pre-1967 (i.e. 1949) borders as a condition for peace and full normalization of ties between Israel and 57 Arab and Muslim states.
Other conditions include the establishment of a Palestinian state, its government sitting in East Jerusalem, and a "just" arrangement regarding Palestinian refugees.
Pompeo was in Manama as part of a Middle East trip aimed at forging further ties between the Jewish state and the Arab world after a landmark U.S.-brokered deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his visit to Manama, Bahrain, August 26, 2020
(Photo: Reuters)
America's chief diplomat said he was hopeful other nations would soon follow in the footsteps of the UAE, which became earlier this month only the third Arab country to agree to normalize relations with the Jewish state.
Quotes from Pompeo and King Hamad's discussion posted by the U.S. State Department included no references to Israel or Palestinians, instead, mentioning Gulf unity and Iran's regional ambitions among other issues.