Gulf | Bahrain
Row hots up after Bahrain denies trip to Israeli mission
An anti-Zionist group has challenged the education ministry to take legal action against an Israeli newspaper for publishing an allegedly unfounded report claiming that Bahraini students had visited the Israeli embassy in Washington.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:21 August 17, 2008
Manama: An anti-Zionist group has challenged the education ministry to take legal action against an Israeli newspaper for publishing an allegedly unfounded report claiming that Bahraini students had visited the Israeli embassy in Washington.
"The ministry is saying that, contrary to the ynetnews report, no Bahraini student has ever set foot in the Zionist embassy in Washington. It should now sue the newspaper for the sake of the ministry and the Bahraini people who stand staunchly against any form of normalisation with the Zionists," Abdullah Abdul Malek, the secretary general of the Bahraini Society fro Resisting Normalisation with the Zionist Enemy, said on Sunday.
"Should the ministry take legal action against the newspaper, it will have the full support of all the people and institutions in Bahrain," he said.
The education ministry on Saturday denied the media report, published in the Israeli portal, claiming that a group of Bahraini students and other Arab nationals visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington last week as part of a young international leadership training programme sponsored by the US government.
Coordinating activities
"All the Bahraini student delegations coordinate their activities with the cultural attache at the Bahraini embassy in Washington," Widad Al Mousawi, the education ministry public relations and media head, said in a press statement.
The Israeli report about the alleged visit last week sparked an uproar in Bahrain, a country that, like most Arab states, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Abdul Malek said that he would consult with MP Nasser Al Fadala, the head of the Parliamentary Committee to Support Palestine, to question the government over the alleged visit, describing it as "an illegal action to normalise relations with Israel."
"The visit was a violation of the parliament's order to ban any kind of relationship with Israel after a meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Israeli counterpart last year," he told Gulf News.
According to ynetnews, Rafi Harpaz, the head of public relations at the Israeli embassy, the visit was "a unique opportunity to explain Israel's position first hand."
"When the briefing was over, the Arab students, all from affluent homes, shook Harpaz' hand and asked to take photos with him, telling the director it was their first time meeting an Israeli. Each student received a PR kit that included brochures about Israel, photos and CDs," the report said.
News Editor's choice
-
Kuwait condemns Houla massacre
Arab League urged to put end to oppression of Syrian people
-
Car seats for children: Unsafe at any speed
Death rate among children in car accidents in the UAE is three times higher than global average
-
Last minute ID rush is on
Expatriates in Dubai have thronged typing centres and Emirates ID registration offices to meet the May 31 registration deadline
