Jewish woman being considered as Bahrain's envoy to US

The only Jewish woman lawmaker in Bahrain is a candidate to become this Persian Gulf kingdom's ambassador to Washington.

Asked about local media reports that she had been chosen for the post, Huda Nono, a legislator in the Shura Council, said she was among people being considered for the post and referred further queries to the foreign ministry.

"I am one of the contenders," Nono, a mother of two and one of two Jewish members in the legislature's upper chamber, told The Associated Press. "Nothing is official yet."

Foreign ministry officials could not be reached for comment. But Yasmina Britel, press officer for the Bahraini Embassy in Washington, confirmed Wednesday that Nono was "one of the nominees."

Declining to say how many candidates were being considered, she said no date had been set for King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to make the official appointment. It "could be tomorrow" or "in six months," Britel said.

If Nono was appointed, Bahrain would be the first Arab country to send a high-level Jewish diplomat to Washington. A pro-Western island nation with Sunni rulers and a Shiite majority, Bahrain is a close U.S. ally and hosts the base of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The daily Gulf News quoted Faisal Fouladh, a Shura Council representative, as saying Nono's appointment would be "very good news" for Bahrain's "deep-rooted values of tolerance and openness." The pro-government daily Akhbar Alkhaleej also said Nono would get the post.

Nono is the first Jewish woman in the Shura Council, a 40-seat body appointed by the king that also has a Christian among its 11 female legislators. The elected 40-member lower house has only one woman lawmaker.

Nono replaced her cousin Ibrahim Nono, who held the Shura Council seat 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.

There are less than 10 Jewish families in Bahrain, with some 50 members in all, and Nono's family is prominent. The country's population is about 500,000.

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 U.S. and Europe.

Media reports have speculated that by considering the appointment of Nono, Bahrain's ruler may be seeking to pave the way for opening formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

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Associated Press writers Pakinam Amer and Jessica Desvarieux in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.