The Palestinian issue is important to every Arab-Muslim country, and Israel should not belittle its significance when making decisions about war or sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, according to Ambassador Eitan Na’eh, the former Israeli ambassador to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Na’eh, who returned to Israel at the end of last month, visited ILTV this week to reflect on his tenure as the first Israeli ambassador to Bahrain following the signing of the Abraham Accords. He said on an ILTV Podcast that while relations between Bahrain and Israel remained relatively stable throughout the Gaza war, the Palestinian issue remained a central concern.
“We hear from the leadership and from the people that the Palestinian issue is still important,” Na’eh explained. “It's part of their identity. It's part of what they believe in. It is an important issue. It comes out in every conversation.”
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Still, Na’eh emphasized that countries like Bahrain prefer to leave the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the parties themselves. “They want a solution,” he said. “They wouldn't dictate a certain formula.”
Reflecting on the past two years of war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Na’eh said that Israel’s ties with Bahrain had “endured one of the most difficult tests since the Abraham Accords were signed. That’s an important message and it is not something to be taken for granted.”
He stressed that “endured” might not even be strong enough a word. In his final conversation with Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Na’eh said he was told that if his mission was to build relationships, that goal had been achieved.
“Now, we are in a period of developing relationships. So building is over. Now we are developing — we are on to the next stage,” Na’eh told ILTV. “I think that is the message.”
He concluded, “Israel might be part of the problem, but we are also certainly a very big part of the solution. And the dialogue and relationship should continue, and they have continued, really, throughout the war.”
Watch the full interview:
Podcast.Eitan.Naeh
(ILTV)
