U.S. President Donald Trump today awarded a rare medal of merit to Bahraini head of state Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on his last full day in office, recognizing the normalization of relations between Bahrain and Israel.
Trump cited Arab recognition of Israel as a major overseas achievement of his presidency, having awarded the same medal last week to King Mohammed VI of Morocco for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Trump announced the award of the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Hamad and praised Bahrain for hosting an economic seminar in June 2019.
U.S. administration officials unveiled the economic component of Trump’s Middle East peace plan at that conference, a controversial plan that has broken decades of international consensus and been boycotted by Palestinians.
The official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) quoted Trump as saying, “King Hamad has shown extraordinary courage and leadership through his support for the Vision for Peace and his decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
Trump added: “King Hamad challenges old assumptions about the possibility of peace in the Middle East and is reshaping the Middle East for many generations to come.
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