A Bahraini court recently acquitted a prominent opposition leader who was accused of spying for Qatar. Sheikh Ali Salman, head of Bahrain's largest, yet banned, opposition group Al Wefaq, was accused in November 2017 of conspiring and colluding against his country. 

The charges were brought a few months after the illegal siege of Qatar, which appalled the whole region, began, reported Gulf Times.

The ‘Qatar-colluding’ charges against Sheikh Ali pertained to a recorded phone conversation between him and former Qatari prime minister HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani in 2011, when the US, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain asked for Doha’s help to end the widespread protests of Bahrainis that year. 

The demonstrations were part of a widespread public condemnation over calls for reforms that included a new constitution, release of hundreds of activists, and end to civil rights abuses. 

The government, however, responded with harsh tactics. Arbitrary detentions, coerced televised confessions, and other inhumane techniques also took place. 

The Bahraini events made headlines and became front-page news, while the world was watching the Arab Spring sweeping other Arab countries in awe. Fearing an imminent Bahraini version of the Spring, the US, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain asked Qatar to mediate and help in containing the protests. 

Why the mediation of Qatar in particular? The answer is obvious. Doha has a long, outstanding and positive record in international mediation.

Starting with Yemen in May 1990, Qatar was among the first countries to mediate, resolve, and finally unify the Northern and Southern parts of Yemen. Qatar also played a vital role in resolving the conflict that raged in Lebanon between 2006 and 2008. Qatar had also constructively involved itself in problems in Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Palestine as well.

It was not surprising that the USA, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain sought the urgent help of Qatar in calming down the 2011 situation and saving the regime’s rule in Manama. 

In a 2017 interview on Qatar TV’s programme ‘Al Haqiqa,’ HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim spoke about the Bahraini crisis of 2011, saying then US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs Jeffrey D Feltman had called him asking for help in the mediation.

“Late Prince Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud [former Saudi foreign minister] called me too, asking for help,” he said.

“I went to Bahrain where Prince Saud bin Faisal and I met the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah. We spoke about what was taking place and I told him [King Hamad] I was going to meet with Ali Salman… By the way, I didn’t know Ali Salman had never met him. We only spoke over the phone and he [Ali Salman] told me that Jeffrey Feltman was with him. Feltman spoke to me and said he was waiting for me.” 

Months later, the protests were brought down after Bahrain called for foreign intervention. Manama approved the deployment of the Peninsula Shield Force, Qatari troops included, to restore stability to the country and, consequently, ending the alarming threat.

However, in August 2017, the same recorded 2011 phone call between HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim and Ali Salman was broadcasted by Bahrain’s official TV.

The series of fake news and fabrications against Doha also dramatically increased. The timing was significant as it came two months after the Qatar blockade was announced.

Yet, what was surprising was that the recording was cut and forged to give the impression that Qatar was colluding against the regime to intervene in the internal affairs of Bahrain.

The new forged recording was met with disdain and condemnation, since Bahrain was trying to fish in troubled waters by trying to link a six-year old regime-help phone conversation with its fresh, disgraceful participation in the Qatar blockade. 

Ironically, in a report published back on November 2011 Bahraini official daily newspaper ‘Alayam’ quoted Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah praising the role of Qatar in the 2011 crisis.

Manama’s poorly led diplomacy has been causing itself some unprecedented embarrassments in front of the international community.

The world is still watching closely the double-standard policies which Bahraini officials have consistently adopted in shaping their country’s political relations, especially the regional ones.