Gazans meet Bahraini interfaith group with hostility

An interfaith group from Bahrain, in the area for dialogue, was met with violence in Gaza. 

By: World Israel News Staff

An interfaith group from Bahrain visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories was welcomed with violence by a Palestinian mob as it attempted to visit the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Dozens of Palestinian activists gathered in front of the Beit Hanoun crossing in the northern Gaza Strip to prevent the Bahraini delegation from entering the Strip, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported.

The mob torched tires and chanted slogans condemning normalization with Israel.

One activist told Ma’an that they would not allow the delegation to enter and that they would treat them as enemies, while another said he had brought rotten eggs to throw at members of the delegation.

While organizers repeatedly described the trip as nonpolitical, the timing comes as Bahrain increasingly looks like the test case for other Gulf Arab nations in seeing what could happen if they recognize Israel.

A group of 30 people from Bahrain, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims, flew to Israel for the event. They are visiting universities and talking to officials there about topics of common interest.