Rabbi Schneier with King Hamad
Rabbi Schneier with King HamadFoundation for Ethnic Understanding

Rabbi Marc Schneier, the President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and Special Advisor to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and, hailed the Gulf Arab state’s hosting of the US rollout of the upcoming Middle East peace plan as a sign of the country’s role in reshaping Arab relations with Israel and the Jewish world.

“I have always said that Bahrain would lead the charge in the Gulf on establishing relations with Israel because of their shared interests – the threat they face from Iran and the economic benefits to an alliance,” said Rabbi Schneier in a statement Monday.

“As such, the White House announcement that it is going to hold an economic summit in Bahrain next month to promote the US peace plan makes complete sense. Since 2011, King Hamad has been at the forefront of major initiatives to bring the Gulf and Israel closer together and he’s earned this honor and distinction to be the Gulf leader and the Gulf state to host this historic conference.”

On Sunday, the White House announced that it would be rolling out half of its Middle East peace plan at a workshop in Manama, Bahrain on June 25th to 26th.

The workshop will be used to unveil the economic component of the much-anticipated “Deal of the Century”, which aims to reach a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.