Bahrain embassy in Israel invites far-right politician Ben-Gvir to Independence Day celebrations

Bahrain's embassy in Tel Aviv has invited far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir to Bahraini Independence Day celebrations, according to reports.

The embassy invited the leader of the Otzma Yehudit party and other members of the governing Knesset to an upcoming ceremony to mark the 51st anniversary of Bahrain gaining independence from the British, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Ben-Gvir, who is expected to become a national security minister in Benjamin Netanyahu’s next government, is notorious for calling for violence against Palestinians. Just last week, he hailed an Israeli soldier who fatally shot an unarmed Palestinian as a "hero".

Earlier this month, he attended a ceremony organised by the UAE Embassy in Tel Aviv to celebrate their National Day, which falls on 2 December.

Ben-Gvir’s appointment as a national security minister would put him in control of Israeli police and illegal settlements in the West Bank. This would likely worsen the ongoing persecution of Palestinians in the occupied territories.

His position and that of other minister-designates has not yet been finalised, as PM-designate Benjamin Netanyahu still needs to clinch a coalition deal with his right-wing allies.

Bahrain normalised ties with Israel in 2020, under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

The controversial normalisation deal, also signed by the UAE and Morocco, has been slammed by Palestinian factions across the board as a betrayal of their cause.