Shortly after announcing lifting the ban, Sheikh Mohammed was removed from his post.

MANAMA, October 12, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Bahrain's parliament has rejected a decision by the government to lift a ban on Israeli goods as part of a trade deal with the United States.

"Our normalization with Israel means if we buy their goods, they will use the returns to buy weapons to kill our Palestinian brothers," lawmaker Isa al-Motawa' told Reuters.

The parliament's decision on Tuesday October 11, still has to go to the country's upper house, the Shura Council, and must be approved by the king before it goes into effect.

The legislative body also adopted a law to reopen an office responsible for monitoring local markets against Israeli goods.

The office was recently closed by the government following US pressures, according to Reuters.

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said Monday, October 10, the decision to lift the ban did not mean the government planned to normalize relations with Israel.

"The (FTA) agreement is in its latest stages," Sheikh Khaled told reporters after the parliament session.

Government officials said the parliament's proposal would probably not affect the free-trade agreement (FTA) which Bahrain signed last year with the United States, the first between Washington and a Gulf Arab country.

In September, former foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak announced Bahrain had officially ended its boycott of Israeli goods, a shocking decision to many Bahrainis who are angry at Israel's occupation of Arab land and its harsh treatment of Palestinians.

Shortly after announcing lifting the ban, Sheikh Mohammed was removed -- without a declared reason -- from the post he had held for 20 years. But some analysts said the move was not related to his remarks.

Israeli politicians have exerted hectic efforts to invest Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza Strip and four settlement enclaves in the West Bank in normalizing ties with Arab and Muslim countries.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told the UN General Assembly September 20 that he held meetings with more than 10 foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries during his visit to New York.

A barrier between Israel and Islamic countries is giving in to diplomatic efforts, said Shalom.

Israel has full diplomatic ties with four Islamic countries; namely Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Mauritania with trade missions and interest sections in Morocco, Tunisia and Qatar.

Ankara is said to be playing a pivotal role in building ties between Tel Aviv and Islamic countries as Shalom met in Turkey with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri September 1, in the first public meeting between top officials of the two countries.

Turkish NTV had quoted sources as saying Israel was planning to set up diplomatic ties with Indonesia and Malaysia, two major Islamic states in Asia.

Israel was exchanging letters with Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur pursuant to its withdrawal from Gaza Strip, reported the channel, but the two states categorically denied the reports.