Israel to attend maritime security summit in Bahrain

MANAMA/GAZA

An Israeli delegation will attend a U.S.-led maritime security meeting to be held on Oct. 20 in Bahrain, Israel’s Channel 13 reported.

Noting that there were no diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Israel, the report emphasized the importance of an official delegation representing Tel Aviv at the summit in the Bahraini capital of Manama.

Israel and Bahrain do not have diplomatic relations.

Hamas decries Israel's participation in Bahrain meet

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has decried Israel's participation in a U.S.-led maritime security meeting in Bahrain.     

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said attempts to "integrate the Israeli occupation into the region are doomed to fail".

He blamed the parties that "normalize relations with Israel for Israeli assaults on the Palestinian people and their holy sites".

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman are also expected to participate in the two-day summit, the main agenda of which will be the "Iranian threat in the Persian Gulf".

The maritime security meeting in Manama is a follow-up to the U.S.-led anti-Iran conference held in the Polish capital of Warsaw in February.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not deny the report, telling Channel 13 that the conference was "part of the Warsaw process".