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As Pompeo pushes for Israel deal, Bahrain reaffirms support for two-state solution

Pompeo is trying to persuade Bahrain and other countries in the region to join the United Arab Emirates in recognizing Israel.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters following a meeting with members of the UN Security Council about Iran's alleged non-compliance with a nuclear deal and calling for the restoration of sanctions against Iran at United Nations headquarters in New York, August 20, 2020. (Photo by MIKE SEGAR / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MIKE SEGAR/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushes for Arab countries to forge their own deals to recognize Israel, Bahrain indicated it would not be next, saying its position on the need for an independent Palestinian state remains unchanged.

Pompeo’s Middle East tour, which included a stop in the tiny island nation of Bahrain today, comes on the heels of a US-brokered deal to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The top US diplomat is lobbying for other countries to follow suit, and the small Gulf kingdom has been floated as a likely candidate.  

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