Bahrain Mirror: The Israeli delegation that allegedly cancelled taking part in the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Bahrain after news of its involvement sparked protests in the kingdom now seems to have visited after all, Channel 13 reported on Wednesday, according to the Jerusalem Post.

An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity said the Israelis visited Manama and held several meetings there.

Bahraini Members of Parliament released a statement before the visit saying that Israeli presence in their land is "unacceptable" and protests were reported in the capital and across the country, the Israeli TV network i24 reported on Sunday.

The newspaper further noted that Jonathan Ortmans, founder and president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, said that while the Israelis are welcomed, they decided not to attend citing "security concerns."

For his part, Rabbi Marc Schneier, who offers his counsel to the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, warned that the people he speaks with are confused by what they say as two conflicting statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The rabbi's sources have informed him that any progress in normalizing ties with the Jewish state is related to the progress made with the Palestinians.

Arabic Version