Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Thursday in Bahrain called on Iran to stop interfering in the internal affairs of his country and other Arab Gulf states, stressing that the “nation comes above all and that Bahrain is a trust borne by all its citizens.”
Addressing the media, he said recent Iranian actions targeting Bahrain’s “security, stability, and the safety of its people exposed those who betrayed the nation and aligned themselves with the enemy.”
“In times when nations face mounting challenges and when people are test, true positions are revealed,” he added, noting: “While the Bahrain Defense Force remained highly vigilant in defense of the kingdom, a small group of individuals chose to collaborate with the enemy and cooperated with those who violated national sovereignty.”
“This was a grave act of treason and an unforgivable crime,” he declared in remarks carried by Bahrain’s state news agency BNA.
King Hamad stressed that Iran must cease meddling in the internal affairs of Bahrain and GCC countries, expressing his “deep anger” over the developments and saying the sentiment is shared by the Bahraini public.
He questioned “how one could not feel anger when those entrusted with the nation’s interests have betrayed it, and when those elected to represent the people stood with traitors who were rejected by public.”
“Public opinion stands united in rejecting such actions and called for the expulsion of those who cooperated” with Iran’s aggression, he went on to say.
“Those who betray the nation do not deserve the honor of belonging to it or the privilege of living on its land. Citizenship is not merely granted, but a binding covenant, and those who break it forfeit their right to it,” announced King Hamad.
He also expressed regret over the stance of some lawmakers “who sided with traitors instead of upholding their responsibility to protect national interests.”
Emphasising unity within the Council of Representatives, he said, “Those who chose to align themselves with those who attacked the nation should go to them, as there is no place among the people for those who side with the country’s enemies.”
“The peoples of the GCC fully support the rulings against those found guilty of betrayal, including imprisonment and the revocation and withdrawal of nationality, and have called for further measures,” he went on to say.
“These deterrent measures are not acts of retribution, but a safeguard for the majority of loyal citizens, and a necessary step to prevent circumstances that could require the armed forces to assume control under military provisions in defense of Bahrain,” said King Hamad.
“Those lawmakers face two options: either to issue a clear apology to the people of Bahrain that restores trust, or to join those they chose to align with, who have left the country or been expelled under final court rulings for acts of betrayal,” he warned.
He stressed that parliamentary membership “is a trust and representation is an honor not deserved by those whose actions are tainted by betrayal. There is no place for them among the people, nor any honor in representing them going forward.”
Furthermore, King Hamad said stability would not return, nor normal life resume, “until ranks are cleansed of every traitor and accomplice.”
He reiterated that “the nation stands above all and that Bahrain is a trust borne by all.”
