Bahrain's 'Board of Peace' Whitewashes Occupation as Palestinians Watch
Strip away the framing and you are left with this: Bahrain has established a 'Board of Peace' designed to foster dialogue and cooperation in the Middle East. It is a peculiar initiative, given its stated objective of regional tranquility, yet it deliberately excludes the very people most directly impacted by ongoing conflict: Palestinians. The inaugural meeting, held in Manama, featured
representatives from signatory nations of the Abraham Accords and various European entities. The stated goal involves discussions on mutual understanding and progress. This assembly ignores the continuous displacement of Palestinians from their lands, a practice documented by groups like B'Tselem, which reports over 1,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israeli policies between 2020 and 2022
alone. This board's composition and agenda highlight a glaring double standard. Nations that routinely condemn human rights abuses elsewhere remain silent on the systemic violations faced by Palestinians. This is not a new diplomatic strategy. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration, a proclamation by the British government, promised a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine without consulting
or acknowledging the wishes of the indigenous Arab population, then comprising over 90% of the territory. The current 'Board of Peace' mirrors this historical erasure, seeking to reshape the geopolitical landscape while sidelining the primary victims of conflict. Its declared commitment to peace, sans Palestinian voices, effectively legitimizes their dispossession. The quiet part is getting