Rabbi Marc Schneier, the former spiritual leader of the Hampton Synagogue on Long Island and today a personal adviser to the King of bahrain, Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, and other Gulf State leaders, expects the kingdom to establish diplomatic relations with Israel before the end of 2020, following the example of its neighbor and ally, the United Arab Emirates.
“I think Bahrain will be next in line,” Kan 11 News quoted Rabbi Schneier on Saturday night. “I know that by the end of the year one or two countries from the Gulf will be establishing relations with Israel. I believe Bahrain will be next.”
On Saturday, the Bahrain News Agency offered a cryptic report saying, “His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa left the Kingdom of Bahrain on a private visit abroad, his court announced.”
On Friday, the Shura Council, the upper house of the National Assembly, the main legislative body of Bahrain, congratulated the UAE and its leadership on reaching an agreement with the United States and Israel under which the annexation of the Palestinian territories would be halted. It also praised the UAE’s “keenness to consolidate security and stability in the Middle East, as well as support the efforts aimed at achieving peace in the region.”
Bahrain’s upper house “affirmed the kingdom’s stance towards the agreement to halt the annexation of Palestinian territories, and its praise of the deal reached between the UAE, the United States of America and Israel.”
Also on Friday, the King of Bahrain spoke with the Crown Prince of the UAE, Muhammad bin Zayed, and congratulated him on “the achievement of the historic step towards peace that the Emirates has made in the direction of Israel,” as he puts it.
“They are very excited,” Rabbi Schneier told Kan 11, referring to Bahrain’s leadership.
Tablet reported that in 2017, Schneier helped connect the Qatari government to Jewish American lobbyist Nicolas Muzin. Qatar hired Nick Muzin to improve its relations with the Trump Administration and the Jewish American community. Muzin’s work reportedly included arranging meetings between Qatari officials and leaders of Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy groups.
By the way, in 2009, for his 50th birthday, Rabbi Schneier’s fourth wife (he had six), Tobi Rubinstein-Schneier, arranged for a 400 lb. endangered Asian lion to be donated in his honor to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, which named the lion, appropriately enough, Rabbi Marc.