Bahrainis slam Ale Khalifah’s tribute to ex-Israeli president Peres

Dozens of people have held a rally in Bahrain to condemn the kingdom’s foreign minister over paying tribute to former Zionist regime's president Shimon Peres, who died earlier this week after spending almost a fortnight in a medically induced coma following a major stroke.

According to Press TV, the demonstrators took to the streets in the northwestern village of Diraz, situated about 12 kilometers west of the capital Manama, following Friday prayers to denounce Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifah’s message of condolences, reject any normalization of relations with the Tel Aviv regime and express 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 posted on his Twitter account on Thursday.

The tribute drew the ire of many online users as well as opposition figures, given the fact that Manama does not have diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv, and a large number of Arabs view Peres as the man responsible for the successive wars that have rocked the Middle East.

“The foreign minister is paying tribute and praying for the Zionist terrorist and the killer of children,” complained former opposition lawmaker Jalal Fairooz.

The Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv pronounced Peres dead at 00:00 GMT on Wednesday. 

During the Friday rally, the participants also chanted slogans in condemnation of the Manama regime’s heavy-handed crackdown on dissent in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

They voiced their support for distinguished Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim, whose citizenship was removed by the ruling Ale Khalifah dynasty more than three months ago, and demanded the release of prisoners of conscience, opposition figures and clergymen.

ME