Opposition Figure Deplores Bahraini Regime’s Tribute to Shimon Peres
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Bahraini opposition figure and political activist slammed the Al Khalifa regime for a recent move to pay tribute to former Israeli president Shimon Peres, who died earlier this week, saying that the Bahraini people have an opposite stance on Israel.
“It is completely clear that the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain has no legitimacy and does not, in any way, reflect the will of the people of this country,” Rashed al-Rashed told the Tasnim News Agency.
“The position of the Bahraini nation about the occupying Zionist regime (Israel) is completely evident and various statements have been released in condemnation of the foreign minister’s statements,” he noted.
Dozens of the Bahraini people staged a rally in the northwestern village of Diraz, about 12 kilometers west of Manama, after Friday prayers to denounce Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifah’s message of condolences to Israel.
They rejected any normalization of relations with the Tel Aviv regime and expressed solidarity with Palestine.
"Rest in Peace President Shimon Peres, a Man of War and a Man of the still elusive Peace in the Middle East," Bahrain’s top diplomat had posted on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.
