J’lem chief rabbi visits Bahrain on unprecedented trip

Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar visited Bahrain, making him the first rabbi of his stature to visit the predominately Muslim country, according to Ynet.

“More progress!” tweeted former US special envoy Jason Greenblatt on Tuesday, in response to the Monday visit. “Thank you #Bahrain for working toward peace. Thank you to Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar for going. Step by step.”

Rabbis such as Amar are seen as representatives of the State of Israel. The chief rabbi was in the region to take part in a religious conference featuring religious leaders from all over the Middle East – including Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Italy, India, the United States and India.

According to Ynet, Amar hopes that both citizens of Bahrain and Israel could travel to each other’s countries without “the need for special coordination.”

“Middle East nations want peace with Israel, the leadership should promote that without fear,” Amar said. “The people of the Middle East want peace with Israel, and good relations,” he continued.

During the trip, Amar met with the Bahraini king and sent him “a blessing from Jerusalem that will lead to a solid relationship with the State of Israel.”

Preceding the visit from the chief rabbi, the Bahraini and Israeli governments have worked toward normalizing relations with each other in recent months. However, they still do not communicate with one another diplomatically. Israel at the moment holds diplomatic ties with only two Arab states – Egypt and Jordan.

Kan News reported that the visit was apparently organized by American officials acting as intermediaries, considering Israel and Bahrain do not coordinate directly with each other.

Herb Keinon contributed to this story.