Bahraini foriegn minister: Israel requested diplomatic relations

Bahrain's Foreign Minister, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said that he had received an appeal from his Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, to establish diplomatic relations between the two states on Monday. The alleged exchange took place during meetings being held in the US as part of the Annapolis peace conference according to the Petra Jordanian News Network.

According to Al Khalifa, Bahrain has turned down the appeal at this stage, but may look into the matter after the peace summit. (Roee Nahmias)