‘Unremovable stain’ left on Bahraini rulers’ reputation: Khatibzadeh

Iran says Bahrain's “despicable” welcoming of Zionist entity’s foreign minister Yair Lapid to Manama is at odds with the will of the Bahraini people, stressing that the visit left an “unremovable stain” on the reputation of the tiny Persian Gulf island state’s rulers.

According to Press TV, in a statement on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the move, saying any scheme to bolster the Israeli regime’s “destructive presence” in the region will escalate regional tensions and instability.

Lapid arrived in Bahrain on Thursday to open the regime’s embassy in Manama and sign cooperation deals with it.

His visit to Bahrain is aimed at advancing the US-pushed normalization deals between the illegal Zionist entity and a number of Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Khatibzadeh lamented Bahrain’s ignoring of the Zionist regime’s daily atrocities against the oppressed yet resistant people of Palestine.

“Such actions will not give a boost to the legitimacy of the Zionist regime and will not affect the ideal of liberating al-Quds al-Sharif as the first qibla of the world’s Muslims,” he said.

The spokesman also emphasized that Bahraini rulers will not be able to remove the mark of disgrace.

“The people of the region will continue to oppose the process of normalization of relations with the Zionist regime,” he added.

‘Ask people’s opinion before you normalize’

On Thursday night, Bahraini people staged protests against Lapid’s visit, holding placards condemning normalization with the Zionist regime.

The protesters shouted “Down with Israel” and “Get out of Bahrain” to protest the normalization of ties with Israel, local media reported.

Palestinians have denounced the so-called Abraham Accords, calling them a “backstab” and a betrayal of their cause.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior leader of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said Lapid’s visit can be “summed up in one word, which is treason.”

In an interview with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen, al-Zahar censured the visit as a betrayal “first and foremost to God” and secondly to the people of the Persian Gulf.

“Before you normalize ties with Israel, ask the people whether they agree with what their leaders are doing or not,” he said.

He added the leaders of the Arab countries that signed normalization accords with Israel are pinning their hopes on the US and want to please Washington.

SS