Bahrain Mirror: A special assistant to the president on the national security council, hailed Bahrain's recognition in "Israel's right to self-defense" and "recognizing it as a country".

Victoria Coates told the journalists on Friday (May 11, 2018): "We had yesterday the Bahrain foreign minister tweeting support for Israel's right to self-defense against Iranian aggression," adding that "I think it's so important to see a Gulf nation, an Arab nation like Bahrain come out, recognize Israel as a country, which is something, and then [to recognize Israel as] a country that has the right to defend itself against a country like Iran."

Coates, a senior White House adviser, further stated that this statement is an example on the influence of President Trump's decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal and shows that it is helping to improve relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

She emphasized that Khalifa offered "that olive branch" just days before the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

"The sea change has been coming over a period of years, but to come out publicly and make that statement, I think is really powerful, and to make it three days before the embassy move, I think it shows you that the president is absolutely doing the right thing here," she said. "It is not upsetting any regional balance; in fact, his leadership is what's bringing the region together."

"As long as Iran continues the current status quo of its forces and rockets operating in the region, any country - including Israel - has the right to defend itself by eliminating the source of danger," Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa tweeted Thursday.

The tweet was considered an official statement from Bahrain on supporting the recent Israeli strikes on Syria. This is considered a rare and an unprecedented stance on the Arab States level.

Arabic Version