MANAMA, Bahrain: The only Jewish woman lawmaker in Bahrain is set to become the tiny Gulf kingdom s next ambassador to Washington, according to recent media reports here. But Huda Nono, legislator in the all-appointed 40-seat Shura Council, would only confirm she is among those considered for the post and referred further queries to the foreign ministry in Manama. I am one of the contenders, Nono, a mother of two and the second Jewish member in the legislature s upper chamber, told The Associated Press. Nothing is official yet. Yasmina Britel, press officer for the Bahraini embassy in Washington, said Nono is one of the nominees, and that King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa would make the official appointment at an unknown date. Britel says this could be tomorrow or in six months. If Nono is appointed, Bahrain will be the first Arab country to send a high-level Jewish diplomat to Washington. A pro-Western island nation with Sunni rulers and a Shia majority, Bahrain is a close Washington ally and hosts the base of the US Navy s 5th Fleet. Since last week, media here have speculated on Nono s appointment. The daily Gulf News quoted Faisal Fouladh, a Shura Council representative, as saying Nono s appointment would be very good news for the country s deep-rooted values of tolerance and openness. Pro-government Akhbar Alkhaleej daily also reported that Nono would be appointed as envoy to the United States. Foreign ministry officials in Manama could not be reached for comment Thursday. Nono is the first Jewish woman in the Shura Council, which includes a Christian woman among its 11 female legislators. All its members are appointed by the king. The elected 40-member lower house has only one woman lawmaker. She replaced her cousin Ibrahim Nono, who held the seat in parliament for four years. A businesswoman who lives both in Bahrain and London, Nono also is the first Jewish woman to head a local rights organization, the Bahrain Human Rights Watch. Nono s name stands out among the nominees because of her gender, Britel told The AP on the phone from Washington, but would not say how many nominees there were. It s different when all the previous ambassadors have been male, Britel said. There are only about seven Jewish families in Bahrain, with some 50 persons in all, and Nono s family is prominent. The country s population barely reaches half a million people. Jews migrated here in the 19th century, mostly from Iran and Iraq. Their numbers increased early in the 20th century but decreased after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, when many left for Israel, the US and Europe. Today s Jews keep a low profile in Bahrain, working mostly in banks, commercial and trade companies and retail. They live in upscale parts of the country, being part of the wealthy business community. There is also a synagogue and a private Jewish cemetery here. At the height of the Arab-Israeli war, the synagogue was attacked and torched by angry Muslims. The structure was later refurbished. Bahrain has no diplomatic relations with Israel. In 1969, an official Israeli delegation visited Bahrain but protesters burned the Israeli flag in a large street demonstration at the time. In 2006, after Bahrain signed the Free Trade Agreement with the US, Manama closed down a government office that endorsed a boycott of Israeli goods. Media reports have speculated that with appointments such as Nono s, Bahrain may be seeking to pave the way to forming ties with Israel. -Associated Press Writers Pakinam Amer and Jessica Desvarieux contributed to this report from Cairo, Egypt.
