If there is someone who embodies the new Middle East in the wake of the Abraham Accords, it is Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa.
The shaikh has been serving as the ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States since 2017 and was therefore closely involved in the signature of the agreement to normalize the relations between Israel and Bahrain in 2020. Since then, he has been instrumental in enhancing the cooperation between the two countries, which has been growing rapidly.
“When we talk about the Abraham Accords, we talk about hope, positivity, and unleashing opportunities,” Al-Khalifa said while taking part in a forum on the accords hosted by Harvard University a year after the signature. “We share many common challenges and we can learn from each other.”
Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa will be interviewed on Sept. 12 at the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York. Learn more about the conference.
History
Born in 1980, the ambassador is the son of Bahraini Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. Before he was posted to Washington, he held several positions in the public sector in Bahrain.
In cooperation with the American nonprofit D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education program), he worked to develop an anti-drug and anti-violence curriculum for Bahraini schools. As vice president of the Bahrain Olympic Shooting Federation, he helped establish the country’s first women's shooting team.
While serving as the ambassador to Washington, he has also worked to boost the country’s Jewish life, meeting Jews of Bahraini origins in New York City and offering its support to the newly established Association of Gulf Jewish Communities.
“Over the past year, the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities has enhanced life in the region by creating a platform to connect members of the Jewish community living in the Arab Gulf,” he said on the first anniversary of the organization.
Meet the shaikh on Sept. 12 in New York. The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference - learn more.
Connection to the Jewish community
Al-Khalifa has also strongly denounced antisemitism.
“Antisemitism is a challenge that we must all work together to eradicate,” he tweeted, after meeting with US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt in February.
Shaikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa will speak at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on September 12. Get tickets here.