Arab Israeli influencers travel to Bahrain to promote dialogue

Making peace in our lifetime? Some are trying to turn this dream into a reality.

Two-and-a-half years after the signing of the historic Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, a delegation of Arab Israeli influencers traveled to Bahrain in an effort to promote ties and dialogue between the two peoples.

"Israeli Arabs are the real bridge in order to strengthen the relationship between the State of Israel and the countries of the Middle East. The statesmen signed the agreements and our job is to implement them. We are all human beings, we have one goal - to live in peace and dignity and share the love of mankind," said Amir Mazareb. head of the Zarzir Municipal Council.

"People here do not know much about the State of Israel, they are not even aware that there are Arab citizens. We are happy to share our positive experience with them,” he added.

And to promote the construction of those bridges, face-to-face encounters are being organized. 

"Such events stimulated more talks, more discussions about opportunities of mutual interest. It gives more first hand experience about each side. Here in the Gulf we want to benefit from the advancement on the Israeli side in terms of technology and projects that will benefit this region," said Bahraini economist Ahmad Al-Sheik. 

Sharaka, a non-profit NGO established following the signing of the Accords, brought the delegation to the Gulf country as unique ambassadors of Israel. It's the first delegation of its kind in Bahrain and it provides an interesting test case for relations between the two nations. Muslims, Christians and Druze who are proud to be Israeli: not what one would necessarily have in mind when they think of the Jewish state.

"It is very exciting for us to come here to our brothers in Bahrain. Kudos to this initiative of peace between Israel and Bahrain. It's wonderful to see the warm welcome of the very nice people here," said a member of the delegation, entrepreneur Sami Alqrinawi.

"This normalization agreement should have been made a long time ago, this is simply amazing," he went on. "It's a great pride for Israel and also pride for me as an Israeli, to show the locals the true face of Israel. To sit down with the people and explain that you are an Israeli with equal rights, they are a little surprised by that. This is true diplomacy." 

“I meet people from Qatar, I talk to them about Israel, about how Muslim people live in Israel. We need this peace also with Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We're happy to meet everyone here,” Alqrinwai added. 

But despite the good intentions in advancing the ties between the two nations, many challenges remain.

"They see us more here. There is more vocal opposition by those who oppose everything that this government does in Bahrain or in its relationship with Israel. It's not necessarily more voices against [that means] less support for Israel. To me it's simply a sign that we are doing more and raising more concern among those who anyway oppose the process," said Israel's Ambassador to Bahrain Eitan Naeh.

And since this visit came at the time of the joyous Jewish holiday of Purim—marking the survival of the Jews who were facing extermination by their Persian rulers—it was a chance to celebrate together with Bahrain's Jewish community.

"Our vision is people to people. What I do here is people to people. We love everybody. We don't look at their color or where they come from. To be here is a joy for everybody. I'm happy to be here with the Jewish community and happy to be here in Bahrain with the Muslim community,” said Profesor Masad Barhoum, director general of the Galilee Medical Center.

Fatema Al Harbi is Sharaka's CEO in Bahrain. As we drove together through the streets of Manama, she gave us an insight into her vision as an ambassador of peace. 

"It all happened with the signing of the Abraham Accords, when my country decided to have diplomatic relations with Israel. I saw an opportunity there that I could be an ambassador for change, that would bring more people together and build bridges with the Israeli people,” she said. 

"I think the goal is to actually have peace between people to people, for normal Bahraini people to have friends in Israel, going back and forth between the two countries, for Israelis to open businesses in Bahrain and vice-versa, friends, tourists visits. To actually have the conversation between people to people," Al Harbi added. 

Signing the peace agreement opened the door to countless possibilities, and yet both countries have yet to fulfill the potential of the relations when it comes to economy, culture and tourism. The success of this delegation is simply by making basic interactions between people and building bridges for peace.