Bahrain opposition rejects Israel normalisation, calls for resistance

Bahraini opposition groups have said they reject a decision by the Gulf state to normalise relations with Israel, with a leading Shia cleric yesterday calling on the people of the region to resist.

Cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, living in Iran, said he was against normalisation between Arab countries and Israel, in a statement published by dissolved Bahraini opposition party al-Wefaq, a group close to Qassim.

The accords struck between Israel and the UAE last month, and between Israel and Bahrain on Friday, go against the will of the people, he said.

"There is a great divergence between the rulers and the ruled in thought, mind, aims and interests. Governments are experiencing a psychological defeat and want to impose it on the people, and the people have to resist this defeat," Qassim said.

A group of Bahraini political and civil society associations, including the Bahrain Bar Association, on Sunday voiced their opposition to the deal in a joint statement.