An Israeli delegation - including businessmen and officials - canceled its participation in a business conference in Bahrain due to security concerns after a Bahraini court rejected a request by a number of lawyers not to issue visas to the delegation.
"Although we told the Israeli delegation that it would be welcome, this morning we decided not to attend because of security concerns and not to cause any inconvenience to the other 180 participating countries," Jonathan Ortman, president of Global Entrepreneurship Network, said in a statement.
Israeli Economy Minister Eli Cohen was due to head a high-ranking delegation of more than 30 members, and some will address the World Entrepreneurship Conference, which will be held in Bahrain from January 15 to 18.
The delegation's withdrawal came despite a Bahraini court's rejection of urgent matters on Sunday, a lawsuit filed by a number of lawyers last week demanding the Interior Ministry not to issue visas to the delegation.
One of the plaintiffs said that the court informed them that they had taken the decision because "it is not in the personal interest of the plaintiffs to prevent the entry of the Zionists into the country.
A small Israeli delegation visited Bahrain in June to participate in the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the first time that Manama has publicly announced the hosting of a delegation from Israel.