Bahrain detains activist opposing US-led Red Sea coalition
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Ibrahim Sharif, a Bahraini activist known for his outspoken tweets about Palestine and his recent criticism of Bahrain's participation in the US-led coalition against Yemen, has been detained.
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Detained Bahraini activist Ibrahim Sharif (Twitter)
Bahraini authorities arrested activist Ibrahim Sharif, on Wednesday, and summoned him to appear before the public prosecution on Thursday.
The arrest order was issued due to his online posts on X, in which he voiced his opposition to his country's involvement in the maritime coalition, created by the United States against Yemen.
الى جميع أصحاب الضمائر الحرة في #البحرين
— Ebrahim Sharif (@ebrahimsharif) December 19, 2023
صادرت الحكومة قرارنا ودخلت حلفا عدوانيا لفك الحصار البحري عن الكيان الصهيوني الذي يرتكب مجازر يومية ويحاصر ويجوّع شعبنا في #غزة وفلسطين.
لكن أحدا لا يستطيع أن يصادر ضمائرنا وانتماءنا العربي والاسلامي والانساني، وحقنا في الدفاع عن اشقائنا… pic.twitter.com/W67lq1QqMV
In his post, Sharif also expressed the Bahraini people's right to support the Palestinian people, who have been subjected to a genocidal war for 75 days.
Sharif also expressed gratitude in his posts for the Yemeni stance for not abandoning Palestine, highlighting the contrast with Bahrain's alignment with Washington, which contributes to the oppression, blockade, and hunger imposed on the people of Gaza.
#حكومة_البحرين_لاتمثلني
— Ebrahim Sharif (@ebrahimsharif) December 19, 2023
اليمن إنتصر لغزة، وحكومة البحرين تنتصر للعدو الغاصب إرضاءً للامريكيين الذين يساهمون في ذبح وحصار وتجويع شعبنا الفلسطيني في #غزة
شكرا أهلنا في #اليمن ، والخزي والعار لمن تخلى عن فلسطين واستخف برأي الشعب البحريني خدمة للعدو الصهيوني.#بحرينيون_ضد_التحالف pic.twitter.com/da9l4mqjds
He called for broad participation in an online campaign condemning Bahrain's participation in the maritime alliance, using the hashtag #bahrainis_against_alliance.
شعب البحرين يقف مع الشعب الفلسطيني و يرفض التحالف الداعم لجرائم الاحتلال
— ويد🔻🇵🇸 (@Wdwd97) December 19, 2023
Bahraini people stands in solidarity with Palestinians and refuse the alliance supporting the occupation.#bahrainis_against_alliance #بحرينيون_ضد_التحالف pic.twitter.com/dsSp0gQ8eS
The big picture
Recently, Bahrain emerged as the sole Arab nation participating in the US-led naval coalition against Yemen, which has launched a phase of operations since November in support of Gaza in the face of the Israeli genocidal war.
Concurrently, the Bahraini populace initiated a campaign, expressing their solidarity with Palestinians and rejecting their country's involvement in the alliance.
هذه كلمة شعب #البحرين الثابتة
— 𝕷𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖋𝖆 𝖆𝖑-𝕳𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖎 (@latifahusseini) December 19, 2023
وهذا مشهد حقيقي في بلدٍ ينسلخ فيه الحاكم عن قرار الشعب#بحرينيون_ضد_التحالف pic.twitter.com/Jvw6bqiDHK
The Bahraini Society Against Normalization with "Israel" made a call to join a large sit-in with the slogan "No alliance, no normalization" at 3 pm on Friday, December 22, 2023, outside the society's headquarters in the Adliya area.
In a statement, the Society emphasized that the sit-in is a protest against the Bahraini government's involvement in an alliance benefiting the Israeli occupation, which is accused of committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It also denounces the occupation, aggression on the Gaza Strip, and normalization efforts.
BSAZ invites you to attend the sit in protest
— الجمعية البحرينية لمقاومة التطبيع (@bsaz_bh) December 20, 2023
No Alliance
No Normalisation
Friday 3pm in from of the society HQ -#bahrain #palestine #gaza #بحرينيون_ضد_التطبيع #بحرينيون_ضد_التحالف pic.twitter.com/POMTayV8ct
In the same context, the Bahraini National Initiative against Normalization with "Israel" has urged the Bahraini government to distance itself from entering suspicious alliances rejected by its people.
The initiative emphasized the rejection of foreign military bases in Bahrain as a trigger for any aggression benefiting Israeli interests. It further stressed the necessity of implementing the people's demand to cancel the normalization agreement, abolish related agreements, and expel the Israeli ambassador from the country.
In a statement, it assured that "alliance with the Zionist enemy is unacceptable in all cases and should be confronted and criminalized, especially in light of the current situation in which the occupation kills tens of thousands of Palestinians, displaces them from their homes and commits unprecedented war crimes."
"Instead of allying with it, the Arabs and the international community should have formed a coalition against it [Israel] to bring its leaders to the International Criminal Court as the crimes it is committing are considered war crimes punishable under international law and to stop the war of genocide; Instead of allying with Israel, the states should have allied to open the crossings with the Gaza Strip to bring in humanitarian aid, including food, water, medicine and all the necessities of life to all areas of Gaza," it added.
Bahrainis stand firm: Reject participation in alliances that kill, harm Palestinians
On his account, Sayyed Taher al-Mousawi, a member of al-Wefaq General Secretariat, stated that "Bahrainis refuse to be part of any alliance or conspiracy that aims to kill and starve the people of Gaza."
In a post on X on Tuesday, al-Mousawi described the US-led maritime coalition in the Red Sea as "the coalition to suffocate and starve Gaza," labeling it "a complete crime by all heavenly laws and regulations and even international covenants and charters."
"The maritime coalition aimed at tightening the noose on Gaza and fighting any step towards lifting the siege on it is a continuation of the war of genocide and war crimes in Gaza," he stressed.
"We, the people of Bahrain, stand with Gaza and Palestine, and we are committed to this cause against the occupiers, the murderers of women and children, and all those who support, assist, and ally with them," he concluded.
#bahrainis_against_alliance pic.twitter.com/vQQoIDDsks
— Zainab alderazi (@zainab_alderazi) December 19, 2023
The case of Bahrain highlights the growing divide between Arab regimes and their citizens, who adamantly reject any form of normalization with “Israel" and remain steadfast in their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause. Despite government alliances, the people of Bahrain and beyond continue to express their solidarity with Palestine, resisting attempts to compromise their principles. The struggle for justice and opposition to normalization agreements are vivid expressions of the grassroots sentiment prevailing across the Arab world.
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