Bahrain Interior Minister: Relations with Israel Protect our Interests

Bahrain Financial Harbor, left, and Bahrain World Trade Center in the diplomatic area of Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2018. (Reuters)
Bahrain Financial Harbor, left, and Bahrain World Trade Center in the diplomatic area of Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2018. (Reuters)
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Bahrain Interior Minister: Relations with Israel Protect our Interests

Bahrain Financial Harbor, left, and Bahrain World Trade Center in the diplomatic area of Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2018. (Reuters)
Bahrain Financial Harbor, left, and Bahrain World Trade Center in the diplomatic area of Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2018. (Reuters)

Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said on Monday that normalizing ties with Israel protects Bahrain’s interests and strengthens its strategic partnership with the United States.

“It is not an abandonment of the Palestinian cause ... it is to strengthen Bahrainis’ security and their economic stability,” he said in a statement. “If Palestine is our Arab cause, then Bahrain is our fateful cause.”

Bahrain on Friday said it would normalize relations with Israel, following the path of the UAE who declared it would do the same a month ago. Both countries are set to sign the peace agreement in Washington later on Tuesday.

The minister stressed that the Kingdom has been standing with the Palestinian cause since the beginning of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the decision will not undermine Manama’s stand towards the 2002 Arab peace initiative and international resolutions and agreements.

He said that after 73 years of the conflict, threats have made their way into Arab countries and the "fateful challenges in the region cannot be ignored or overlooked."

“Iran has chosen to behave in a dominating way in several forms and has become a constant danger that harms our internal security,” Sheikh Rashid said, adding that it was wise to forestall dangers.

“We are a state that is determined to develop our national capabilities, and our old and modern strategy is based on strong allies to confront potential threats.”



Saudi-Iraqi Cooperation Thwarts Drug Smuggling Operation

 The drug shipment was intercepted with the assistance of "important information" provided by Saudi's drug enforcement agency. SPA
The drug shipment was intercepted with the assistance of "important information" provided by Saudi's drug enforcement agency. SPA
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Saudi-Iraqi Cooperation Thwarts Drug Smuggling Operation

 The drug shipment was intercepted with the assistance of "important information" provided by Saudi's drug enforcement agency. SPA
The drug shipment was intercepted with the assistance of "important information" provided by Saudi's drug enforcement agency. SPA

Iraq's security forces have seized an estimated 1.1 ton of captagon pills hidden inside a truck that entered Iraq from Syria via Türkiye, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The drug shipment, the largest ever seized in Iraq, was tracked and intercepted with the assistance of "important information" provided by Saudi's drug enforcement agency, the Interior Ministry spokesperson Brigadier Muqdad Meri said in a televised statement.

Saudi Arabia said it contributed to thwarting an attempt to smuggle seven million amphetamine pills into Iraq, according to a statement by ministry security spokesman Colonel Talal bin Abdul Mohsen bin Shalhoub.
Through proactive security monitoring of criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, the General Directorate of Narcotics Control provided intelligence to its Iraqi counterpart, leading to the interception of the illicit shipment. The drugs were concealed within a consignment of children's toys and ironing boards.
Shalhoub praised the close cooperation between Saudi and Iraqi authorities in combating drug smuggling.

He reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to tracking and dismantling criminal operations involved in narcotics production and trafficking, in collaboration with counterpart agencies in brotherly and friendly countries.