In a statement issued on Sunday, the clerics underlined that the Manama regime’s moves to thaw relations with Tel Aviv is tantamount to “a great betrayal” of Muslim and Arab nations, the Arabic language news website al-Ahed reported.
“The sinister goals of such a move are clear to everyone,” the statement read, adding that the “bloodthirsty Zionist regime (Israel) will never turn out to be a friend and will have no place in Bahrain.”
The Al Khalifa regime on many occasions has tried to normalize relations with Israel over the past months. Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifah sent a message of condolences to Tel Aviv back in September to pay tribute to former Israeli president Shimon Peres.
"Rest in Peace President Shimon Peres, a Man of War and a Man of the still elusive Peace in the Middle East," Bahrain's top diplomat had posted on his Twitter account on September 29.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.