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Bahrain Peace Deal With Israel Gets Mixed Reaction Across Middle East

Edward Yeranian

   CAIRO - Reaction from around the Middle East to the Israel-Bahrain
   peace agreement has been mixed, though most criticism of the deal has
   been fairly muted.

   Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV broadcast a video of some Bahrainis saying they
   opposed the peace deal between their country and Israel. It was not
   clear, however, if those Bahrainis were opponents of their government
   or if their opinion was that of the majority.

   Qatar's ruling al-Thani family has been at loggerheads with its
   Bahraini rivals for many years amid historically troubled relations
   between the nations.

   The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Garghash, said
   in a tweet that "recent developments in the region are a clear sign of
   the need to discard old policies that have not borne fruit."

   'Real opportunities'

   "New beginnings carry real opportunities," he added, "that may pave the
   way for political solutions that improve security, stability and
   prosperity."

   In Egypt, which in 1979 became the first country to sign a peace deal
   with Israel, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi indicated in a tweet that
   he "values this important step towards establishing peace and stability
   in the Middle East, in a way that achieves a just and permanent
   settlement to the Palestinian issue."

   Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Saturday that Bahrain was
   now a partner to what it called the "crimes of Israel," which it added
   were "a constant threat to the security of the region and the Islamic
   world."

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