'Celebrating the Nakba': Outrage over Israeli 'Independence Day' party at Bahrain embassy

Social media users across Bahrain and the Gulf region have expressed outrage after Bahraini officials were seen celebrating Israel's 'Independence Day', which coincides with the Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe.

Earlier this week, an image published by the Israeli embassy in Manama showed senior Bahraini officials and influential figures at a party to mark the country's founding - an event that also saw the expulsion of more than 700,000 indigenous Palestinians from their homes.

More than 300 attendees flocked to the blue and white themed party, where Bahraini Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa took part in an Israeli flag cake cutting.

Bahrain - along with the UAE, and later Sudan and Morocco - broke with Arab consensus in 2020 and normalised ties with Israel.

A Bahraini orchestra was also invited to play the Israeli national anthem, sparking rage among Arabs and pro-Palestine activists across social media.

In Qatar, Sheikha Almayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the sister of the emir, shared the image to her more than 800,000 followers on Instagram. The Qatari royal used emojis to express her disapproval of the incident.

On Twitter, social media users were equally as angry. "This is the day when Palestine was occupied and its people were displaced. The people of Bahrain and all Arabs and Muslims are innocent of this act," one user said.

قناة كان الالسرائيلية:
أقامت سفارة اسرائيل في المنامة أمس حفلا بمناسبة الذكرى الـ 74 لـ "استقلال اسرائيل "بحضور أكثر من 300 ضيف يمثلون جميع فروع الحكومة والقطاعات الخاصة في البحرين.

هذا اليوم الذي احتلت فيه فلسطين وشرد شعبها.
شعب البحرين وكل العرب والمسلمين براء من هذا الفعل. pic.twitter.com/ncsuhlZMfv

— د.صالح النعامي (@salehelnaami) May 27, 2022

"As a Bahraini citizen, I demand the closure of the occupation embassy, the immediate expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from my country, and the cessation of all forms of normalisation," another user said.

"I am certain that this is the most unparalleled national consensus decision, and what happened in Jerusalem today alone is enough to take this step."

"Humiliation after humiliation from Arab leadership," one user said on Instagram, while another described it as a "great shame" for Palestine.

كمواطن بحريني أطالب بإغلاق سفارة الإحتلال وطرد السفير الاسرائيلي من بلدي وبشكل فوري ووقف كافة أشكال التطبيع

وأجزم أن هذا أكثر قرار يحظى بإجماع وطني لا مثيل له، وما حدث في القدس اليوم لوحده يكفي للإقدام على هذه الخطوة#البحرين#مسيرة_الاعلام_لن_تمر#نفير_الأقصى#فلسطين pic.twitter.com/PDTj7TQE3U

— sayed taher almosawi (@staheralmosawi) May 29, 2022

The celebration comes amid heightened tensions in Palestine as Israelis celebrate the independence of their state while Palestinians mourn the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of civilians during the Nakba.

As part of the annual celebrations, far-right Israeli extremists take part in marches across occupied territories in a bid to provoke Palestinians living there.

This year, shocking scenes showed settlers celebrating the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and kicking elderly women to the floor while chanting "death to Arabs".

Bahrain joined the UAE in signing the controversial US-brokered Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel in 2020.

Since then, both Gulf states have exchanged envoys and embassies with Israel and have expanded diplomatic and trade relations with Israel.

Palestinian factions across the board have denounced the move as a betrayal of their cause.