Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Israel reportedly operated secret diplomatic mission in Bahrain for past decade

Israel reportedly operated secret diplomatic mission in Bahrain for past decade

Consulting firm used as front for covert mission, with dual-citizen diplomats serving as shareholders who promoted business deals and served as channel between governments

Israel has operated a covert diplomatic mission in Bahrain disguised as a commercial consulting firm for over a decade, according to a Wednesday report.

The secret mission, revealed by the Walla news site, has operated since 2009 and helped lay the groundwork for the formal peace agreement signed by Israel and Bahrain last month at the White House. The report was also published in English on the Axios website.

Its employees, all Israeli diplomats who hold dual nationalities and entered Bahrain on their foreign passports, helped promote hundreds of business deals between Israeli and Bahraini firms while also serving as a communication channel between the two governments, the report said.

The idea for the covert mission grew from negotiations between then foreign ministers Tzipi Livni and Khaled Bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, according to the report, which cited Israeli and Bahraini sources, as well as documents from the Bahraini Commerce Ministry.

The report said that until recently attempts to publish details on the mission had been blocked, by Israel’s military censor. Some details, including names of the current diplomats serving there, were still barred from publication.

The decision to open the office, named the “Center for International Development” came in 2009, shortly after Qatar ordered the shuttering of an Israeli trade office in Doha against the backdrop of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. The move stripped Jerusalem of a foothold in the Gulf, ostensibly increasing Israeli interested in opening something comparable elsewhere in the region.


During an April 2008 visit to Qatar, then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni meets with her Omani counterpart Yousef bin Abdulla


The Center for International Development offered services in marketing, PR and investment, according to local documents. The firm changed its name in 2013, but Walla said the military censor has barred it from revealing the current title.

The website claimed the company’s “strong network of contacts in Bahrain and around the region helps it close deals,” Axios said.

The report named Israeli diplomats who served there in the past as Brett Jonathan Miller, a South African national who went on to be appointed Israel’s consul general in Mumbai in 2013; Ido Moed, a Belgian national who now serves as cyber coordinator in the Foreign Ministry; and Idan Fluss, a British national who now serves as the Foreign Ministry’s deputy director-general for the economy.

“The Israeli diplomats all had cover stories, backed up by unconvincing LinkedIn profiles,” Axios reported.

According to the reports, the firm’s cover was nearly blown on several occasions, requiring “urgent damage control” to keep the company’s true function a secret.


The Bahraini, Israeli and US flags are pictured in front of an El Al plane ahead of a flight to Bahrain’s capital Manama from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on October 18, 2020.


Israel and Bahrain on Sunday formally declared that they have made peace and established formal diplomatic relations, only the fourth such agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab country, and the second in weeks.

At a ceremony in Manama, officials from both nations signed eight bilateral agreements, including a “Joint Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic, peaceful, and friendly relations.”


Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz and other Bahraini and Israeli officials participate in the signing ceremony of a peace agreement between Israel and Bahrain, in Manama on October 18, 2020.


The Joint Communiqué — the centerpiece of the budding Israeli-Bahraini friendship — is not legally a treaty, but rather a “framework agreement,” Israeli officials said, stressing, however, that with the signing Israel and Bahrain have formally established diplomatic relations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×