Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to visit Bahrain Feb. 14
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett seen here chairing the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem February 13, 2022. Menahem Kahana/Pool via REUTERS Reuters / POOL

So, did the Arab nations betray Palestine? The answer is an affirmative yes if the red carpet rolled out for the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, in Bahrain on Feb. 14 is any indication.

Now, the Arab solidarity with the Palestine cause is a relic of the past and the Palestinian leadership, which historically defended its position based on a collective Arab vision, is now left orphaned and abandoned.

Bennett is visiting Bahrain's capital Manama after Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established relations under a U.S.-sponsored deal -- Abraham Accord -- based in part on shared worries on Iran, where Shia Muslims, a branch of Islam, call the shots.

Earlier on Feb. 2, the oil-rich Bahrain inked a memorandum of understanding with Israel to "help advance intelligence cooperation, a framework for exercises, and cooperation between the countries' defense industries," said an Israeli defense ministry statement.

An Israeli military officer will be posted in Bahrain as part of an international coalition under the new defense pact.

In August 2021, Bahrain's 50-strong Jewish community held its first Shabbat services at the synagogue in Manama in 74 years.

The Israeli embassy in Bahrain was started in September 2021 and was inaugurated by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nation of Bahrain maintains a deep relationship with the U.S. military and has facilitated bases for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in the island nation of 1.47 million inhabitants.

For the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Islamic Republic of Iran represents a constant threat to its stability and the Iran-backed revolutionary groups were the alleged mastermind behind the Arab spring in 2011 in Bahrain.

In Bahrain, Bennett will meet Bahrain's ruler, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the country's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.

"This is an exciting event," Bennett told reporters before departing for Bahrain.

Their bilateral trade has increased since 2020, rising from nothing to $300,000 in the first half of 2021, according to data provided by an Israeli official.

Bennett and Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa met on the sidelines of the COP26 summit in Scotland in November last year, where the crown prince invited the prime minister to visit the country.

Prior to the formal establishment of diplomatic relations under the Abraham Accord, there were covert security cooperations between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, targeting Iran.

Bennett visited the UAE, the other Gulf state in the Abraham Accords, in December last year.

Bennett's two-day trip to Bahrain comes amid increased tensions following Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis' missile attacks on the UAE.

Bennett's visit is taking place as efforts are on to revive the stalled Iranian nuclear talks by the international community.

The outreach by Bahrain's Sunni Muslim monarch has been criticized in the Shi'ia majority country. Protests took place in many villages to express solidarity with the Palestinians.

Earlier, with exception of Egypt and Jordan, no Arab nations had ties with Israel.

The visit is more to do with a nuclear Iran -- a concern Gulf states share with Israel -- than it is with pressing Israel to reach a swift solution to the Palestinian conflict.

Bahrain is a strategically important country and is considered a proxy for Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's most powerful state as it is the custodian of Holy Mosques - the holiest places in Sunni Islam.

Bennett's Manama visit is an indication of tacit support for greater Israeli-Arab ties from Saudi Arabia. According to experts, Bahrain leaders would never act against Saudi wishes.

Saudi troops helped crush the Arab Spring in 2011 that threatened the power of the Sunni Muslim dynasty of the Khalifa family which has ruled the Shiite citizenry of Bahrain since 1783. Saudi Arabia bailed out the Bahrain economy when oil prices plummeted in 2018. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said that Israelis had the right to their own land.

Saudi Arabia now allows Israeli planes to use Saudi airspace and Bennett flew over the country on his way to Bahrain Feb. 14.

As the U.S. is reducing its presence in the Middle East under the Pivot Asia policy, initiated by the Obama administration in 2016, a nuclear-powered Israel is tasked with the role of a regional superpower. Besides, the global economy is parting ways with fossil fuel and these cash-rich Arab nations need the help of a developed nation to steer clear their economy with green energy initiatives.

And the Arab nations see Israel fits into the bill even it means parting ways with the solidarity with Palestine cause forever.