Bahrain says won’t allow import of West Bank products, walking back minister’s statements

Bahrain said it will not allow the import of products from Israel that were produced in West Bank settlements, walking back comments made by its minister of industry, commerce and tourism during a visit to Israel last week. Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani had told reporters in Israel, including The Media Line, that his country would not distinguish between products made within the internationally recognized borders of Israel, and those manufactured in the disputed territories on the West Bank, land conquered by Israel in the 1967 war. But Alzayani’s office late on Friday night told the state-run Bahrain News Agency that the minister’s statement was “misinterpreted” and that the government would adhere to the United Nations resolutions, which deem the settlements as illegal under international law and call on countries to distinguish between the state of Israel and what it calls “occupied” territories in its dealings. Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, also walked back the comments in a phone call with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. Maliki in a statement on Saturday said that the comments “totally contradicted” Bahrain’s “supportive position of the Palestinian cause.”