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Bahrain, Israel Discuss Security Cooperation

The flags of Israel and Bahrain flutter along a road in Netanya, Israel September 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The flags of Israel and Bahrain flutter along a road in Netanya, Israel September 14, 2020. (Reuters)
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Bahrain, Israel Discuss Security Cooperation

The flags of Israel and Bahrain flutter along a road in Netanya, Israel September 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The flags of Israel and Bahrain flutter along a road in Netanya, Israel September 14, 2020. (Reuters)

Bahraini Interior Minister General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa held talks on Wednesday with Israeli Public Security Minister, Omer Barlev, the state-run Bahraini News Agency said.

In a phone call, both sides reviewed security cooperation and exchange of expertise to serve common interests.

They also discussed efforts to promote joint work and bolster bilateral ties.

“Both sides asserted that promoting relations comes as part of the peace declaration and the principles of Abraham Accords to reinforce security and stability and meet the aspirations of regional nations towards peace,” BNA said.

Sheikh Rashid highlighted that Bahrain continues to support coexistence, peace and openness, in line with the vision of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

On September 15, 2020, Bahrain officially normalized relations with Israel at a signing ceremony at the White House, brokered by then US President Donald Trump.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdellatif al-Zayani then visited Israel on November 18, 2020, marking the Gulf kingdom’s first diplomatic visit since it agreed to recognize the Jewish state.

Al-Zayani had called the visit "a strategic start to enhancing joint cooperation" between the countries.

Last year, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid opened his country's embassy in Bahrain.

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UAE: Life Sentences for 24 Defendants in the ‘Justice and Dignity’ Case

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
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UAE: Life Sentences for 24 Defendants in the ‘Justice and Dignity’ Case

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)
The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court has issued a ruling partially overturning a previous verdict in the case known as the “Justice and Dignity Terrorist Organization,” sentencing 24 defendants to life imprisonment after they were found guilty of collaborating with the group and funding the “Al Islah Terrorist Organization.”

The court also ordered the confiscation of funds and tools seized in connection with both crimes.

The court delivered its decision during a session held on Thursday, June 26, following the partial acceptance of an appeal filed by the Attorney General, Counselor Dr. Hamad Al Shamsi. The appeal contested the ruling of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal – State Security Chamber, which had dismissed the criminal case on the grounds that the defendants had already been tried in the matter.

In his appeal, the Attorney General argued that the contested ruling was flawed, as it failed to recognize the distinct nature of the crimes of financing and collaborating with the terrorist organization as stipulated under Federal Law No. (1) of 2004. He noted that these charges had not been included in the earlier 2012 case, in which the defendants were convicted solely of establishing and managing the “Al Islah Organization,” in accordance with the Penal Code.

In its reasoning, the Federal Supreme Court emphasized that the acts attributed to the defendants in the current case are different from those previously adjudicated. The court stated that they cannot be considered a single act under multiple legal descriptions, as the cause and subject of each are separate. It underlined that the criminal conduct at the heart of the new charges is distinct and carries a harsher penalty prescribed by law, thereby justifying a retrial on these offenses.

As a result of this ruling, the number of convicted individuals in what is regarded as one of the country’s largest national security cases has risen to 83 out of 84 defendants referred to trial.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the State Security Chamber of the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal had previously convicted 53 defendants, who were leaders and members of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization, along with six affiliated companies. Sentences in that judgment ranged from life imprisonment to temporary prison terms, as well as fines of up to 20 million dirhams. One defendant was acquitted.

WAM confirmed that this ruling reflects the UAE’s approach in confronting terrorist organizations and their financing, underscoring the independence of the judiciary and its strict application of the law in matters that threaten the security and stability of the state.