Iraqis Storm Bahrain Embassy over Confab for Deal of Century, Manama Recalls Ambassador to Baghdad

A number of Iraqi people stormed the Bahrain embassy in the capital city of Baghdad to protest Manama's decision to host a key summit where the US showcased its so-called Deal of Century to end Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

News ID: 445706

Date: 28 June 2019 - 21:32

RNA - Condemning President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’, hundreds of protesters took to the streets, accusing Persian Gulf nations of being “Arab Zionists who have sold their Arab identity for a failed deal”, Middle East News reported.

The crowd reached the Bahrain embassy in Baghdad before people began to climb over walls. The mob began to burn Israeli and American flags inside the compound's garden, as others waved Palestinian banners to show solidarity with their struggle against Israeli occupation.

The protesters stayed in the garden of the embassy complex and did not enter the offices inside the compound, according to reports. Iraqi security forces tried to disperse the protest by opening fire in the air until reinforcements arrived to secure the Bahrain embassy.

Bahrain immediately condemned the violence and recalled its envoy for consultations, stressing that Baghdad has a responsibility to protect the embassy. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also denounced the violence.

“Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” the ministry of foreign affairs announced.

In turn, Baghdad expressed “deep regret” over the incident, stating, “The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel."

The protests indicate the growing outrage in the Muslim world against Bahrain's decision to host the Manama Workshop, an event that seeks to bring "peace" back to Palestine and Israeli-occupied territories through a deal masterminded by the US administration, in particular Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law.

The so-called "Peace to Prosperity" workshop opened in the Bahraini capital Manama on June 25 and ran through June 26 and sought to garner support for a $50 billion investment plan in Palestine.

The US plan has been met with disdain from Palestinians and the international community because early leaks suggest that it would ultimately seek to take away Palestinian people's right to statehood.

The Palestinian leadership boycotted the meeting, leading critics to question the credibility of the event.

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