Bahrain Mirror: Israeli Minister of Communication Ayoob Kara claimed on Sunday (February 4, 2018) that one of the member of the Bahraini ruling family, Mubarak Al Khalifa, was visiting Israel, according to Middle East Monitor.

"I met publicly for the first time in Tel Aviv with Mubarak Al Khalifa, a Bahraini prince in order to strengthen relations between the two countries," Kara of Israel's ruling Likud party said on Twitter.

"Tomorrow [Monday] I will have the honour to host him in the Israeli Knesset," he added.

However, Israel's Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel it had no knowledge of any Bahraini visit to the country, nor could it confirm the royal status of Kara's photogenic guest. Likewise, neither the Knesset spokesman or the office of Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein said they were aware of a visit to the parliament by a Bahraini official. Such visits usually involve extensive planning and coordination between Israeli officials and foreign delegations.

Usually keen to speak to the press, Kara declined numerous requests to comment on the visit or give any further details about his meeting.

The Times of Israel mocked the Israeli Minister's claims, stressing that "while Kara claims to have met with ‘the prince of Bahrain,' the country's crown prince - the eldest son of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa - is Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and bears no resemblance to the "Mubarak Al Khalifa" named in Kara's tweet."

"In fact, Bahraini government and royal websites include no mention of any living member of the royal family who goes by the name Mubarak Al Khalifa."

The site added that according to the Kan public broadcaster, the man in the tweet told the news station that he was a distant member of the Bahraini royal family currently living in London and was visiting Israel on a "private trip" to see friends. He said that Bahraini officials had attempted to prevent him from coming to the country and that he had received death threats over his travel plans, the report said.

"It appears that the mysterious visitor may be the man known as Mubarak Hamad, a far-flung Bahraini royal who in 2012 was charged with being drunk and disorderly on an aircraft after he was removed from a British Airways flight from London to Bahrain before takeoff for shouting and complaining about poor service.

Bahrain says it has no relations with Israel; however, it has been reported that officials from both countries maintain contact and visits privately.

An official Bahraini delegation visited Tel Aviv in December under instructions from Bahraini monarch Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa. The visit coincided with US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials have repeatedly spoken of the strong secret ties between Tel Aviv and numerous Arab countries in particular Gulf States.

Arabic Version