On Nov. 18, when Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani arrived in Israel on a visit, he invited his counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, to participate in the Manama Dialogue regional security conference. Ashkenazi was supposed to be the highest official Israeli to visit the kingdom.

But Bahraini protocol was later changed, and the Israelis were told that the first official to visit the country should be the head of state. As such, Ashkenazi's visit was postponed, and he could not participate in the Manama Dialogue in person.

Still, the Bahrainis maintained the invitation virtually. Ashkenazi participated at the Dec. 6 conference online. While he was not sitting physically in the conference room in Manama, it was clear that Ashkenazi highly valued the invitation and the rare occasion to engage in dialogue with other Arab leaders.

The first to speak in the concluding conference session was Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. Ashkenazi spoke right after him. The prince delivered a harsh speech, probably not the kind the organizers of the conference anticipated. Voicing strong support for the Palestinian cause, the former Saudi intelligence chief accused Israel of falsely depicting itself as a country constantly under existential threat and as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. “You cannot treat an open wound with palliatives and painkillers. The Abraham Accords are not divine writ,” stated the prince, clarifying that no normalization with Riyadh would take place until the Palestinian issue is resolved.