Bahrainis protest in solidarity with Palestinians

Bahrainis protest in solidarity with Palestinians
A pro-Palestine demonstration was held in Bahrain on Thursday, the latest in a series of rallies to denounce Israeli aggression against Palestinians.
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Dozens of Bahrainis demonstrated in solidarity with Palestinians on Thursday, in a move approved by the authorities of the kingdom despite normalising ties with Israel last year.

"Down, down with Israel... down, down with normalisation," some protesters cried, many waving Palestinian flags.

Israeli airstrikes continued to pummel the besieged Gaza Strip for a tenth consecutive day on Thursday, where hundreds have died and thousands more made homeless.

"Stop the aggression on Gaza," signs held by protesters in the capital Manama read. 

Similar protests have been reported in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

Last year, shortly after the United Arab Emirates normalised relations with Israel in a US-brokered accord, Bahrain followed suit.

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The controversial deal made the UAE and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab states to establish relations with Israel, following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

The escalation in violence has embarrassed the Gulf states, prompting Bahrain to condemn Israel's "attacks" on the besieged enclave.

Abdulrasool Ashoor, from the Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with the Zionist Enemy, a group established long before the Abraham Accords, said Palestinians were suffering "under a crushing aggressive war, that did not spare children and the elderly".

Police monitored the protest, intervening to ensure people stuck to Covid-19 social distancing rules.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, since the Israeli bombardment began on May 10.

In Israel, 12 people, including one child, have been killed by rocket fire launched by Hamas in Gaza.