Simon Wiesenthal Center Hails Normalization of Ties Between Bahrain and Israel

September 11, 2020

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) hailed today’s announcement by President Trump that Bahrain and Israel are normalizing ties.
 
“From our first meeting with King Hamad at his palace in Bahrain we knew he was a leader committed to peace not only between two sovereign nations but between two peoples,” declared Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, Founder and CEO and Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action of the SWC, a leading Jewish Human Rights NGO.

 
“During our February 2017 meeting, (pictured above), King Hamad publicly denounced the Arab Boycott of Israel, cleared the way for twenty-four interfaith leaders to visit Jerusalem and authored the trailblazing Bahrain Declaration on Religious Tolerance — which was signed at a ceremony in Los Angeles with Prince Nasser and 400 interfaith leaders,” Hier and Cooper added.
 
“During last year’s Economic Forum in Bahrain, we experienced personally the opportunity to join a minyan in Bahrain’s synagogue, the first in seven decades,” SWC officials said, adding, “Tourists from Israel and around the world will see for themselves Bahrain’s full protection and support for all religions, from Christianity to Hinduism to Judaism.”
 
“Finally, though small in size, Bahrain has stood fast against the existential threat from Iran. Today’s announcement will bolster its ability to better secure its defense and expand its economic opportunities,” Hier and Cooper concluded.
 

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).