Manama: A lawmaker here has requested the Industry Ministry of Bahrain to investigate an alleged invitation extended by a local exhibition authority to an Israeli company.

Producing a letter allegedly sent by the Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority (BECA) to Tel Aviv-based Business Time Scanorama, MP Nasser Al Fadhala said stringent action should be taken against the sender of the letter, who had also dispatched a DVD promoting Bahrain as a "destination with a can-do attitude."

"The contact with the Zionist company is highly condemnable as it flouts local laws and helps a Zionist penetration of the Bahraini market," Al Fadhala said.

Bahrain, like most Arab countries, has no diplomatic ties with Israel.