Bahrain Mirror: A prominent US rabbi said on Wednesday (February 28, 2018) that the Muslim-majority Persian Gulf kingdoms are waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a "bold and courageous" gesture to kick off the process of forging diplomatic ties with Israel.

According to an interview made by i24NEWS Israeli channel, rabbi Marc Schneier said "I am going to be so bold as to predict that you will be seeing diplomatic relations between Israel and the Gulf within two years."

The rabbi, who led a Jewish delegation from New York to Bahrain for 3 days in their way to visit the occupied Jerusalem, said that of the six Gulf States, Bahrain is the most eager for rapprochement with the Jewish state.

"If I were betting on the 6 horses in the race to diplomatic relations with Israel, I would bet on the Bahraini horse be coming first," he further stated.

Schneier indicated that King Hamad has been very public in expressing his support and outreach to Israel, since his dealings with him since 2011.

Commenting on King Hamad's stance, he said "I am very, very optimistic that we are living in a wonderful time as Israel and the Gulf states come closer together."

Schneier also confirmed he had facilitated talks between Bahrain's King Hamad and Israel, stressing that he relayed some of these messages to Israeli officials.

On the other hand, Schneier considered that the way Israel can play a constructive role is in terms of encouraging Trump administration to resolve this conflict between Qatar and Gulf States.

Bahrain, a Shiite-majority country ruled by an authoritarian Sunni elite, has reportedly maintained discreet intelligence co-operation with Israel.

Arabic Version