Bahrain Mirror: The King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has rejected a request by Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Manama, the Saudi newspaper "Elaph" reported.

In response to Netanyahu's request, Al Khalifa said: "The time has not yet come".

The newspaper added that Netanyahu sent a special envoy to Bahrain accompanied by three security officials under the pretense of informing Bahraini officials of a security threat. The offer was then made in the meeting in Bahrain's capital Manama between the monarch and the Israeli envoy, proposing that King Hamad should welcome Netanyahu in August 2019 to discuss issues of mutual interest including security.

Netanyahu wanted to use the meeting with the Bahraini king to benefit his election campaign ahead of the September 17 national vote, according to the newspaper.

Netanyahu's aid refused to comments on the news, saying that prime minister does not comment on "such news stories."

Arabic Version