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Curious Israelis Embrace Bahraini Visitors
(Times of Israel) Lazar Berman - Mohammed Saleh, an official with Bahrain's Education Ministry, stood, bowed, and sat a few feet away from the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City last week as he went through the Muslim liturgy, decked out in an immaculate white robe, sandals, and a red-and-white keffiyeh. Saleh and eight other Bahraini businessmen flew to Israel on the new direct Gulf Air route from Manama to Tel Aviv, in a visit organized by Sharaka ("partnership" in Arabic), an NGO founded by Israeli, Bahraini, and Emirati social entrepreneurs in the wake of the 2020 Abraham Accords. Wherever they walked in the Old City, the Bahrainis experienced the welcoming, inquisitive, and charmingly intrusive Israel that pleasantly surprises so many first-time visitors. Yet in some places they encountered young Palestinian men who called them traitors. The Bahrainis were unfazed, saying the verbal attacks were rather tame compared to what they've experienced on social media and from Palestinians living in Bahrain. Khawla Al Shaer, who works at a pharmaceutical company in Bahrain, said she was struck by the warmth of the welcome she received. "We saw a lot of care and love and hospitality," she said. "There are very beautiful, lovely, friendly people," said Nayla Al Meer, a PhD student and official in the Youth and Sports Ministry. Fatema Al Harbi, who works for the Education Ministry, noted, "I saw a lot of Arab Israelis and Arabs; they love living here."