A Jewish woman was appointed to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee in Bahrain last Sunday.

Bahrain-born Nancy Khedouri, who was named the committee's deputy chairwoman, is the third Jew elected by parliamentary peers to the 38 member upper house Shura Council, Bahrain's main legislative body.

Ms Khedouri joins the current Bahraini ambassador to the United States and former Shura Council member, Houda Ezra Nonoo, as one of the few Jewish women in Gulf politics.

In addition to her political achievements, Ms Khedouri, who left London's The Mount school in 1993, is the author of "From Our Beginning to the Present Day". The book details the history of Bahrain's Jewish community.

"The peaceful co-existence [the Jewish community] have with the Bahrainis is proof of the religious tolerance advocated by His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa," Ms Khedouri said in an interview with the Bahrain Tribune.