gsstar,
Take a look at this:
GULF1663 - Direct Entry Rated First Officers for Airbus A320 - Gulf Air
I don't know if they have actually hand-picked any yet but as I understand it, we are looking for quite a few pilots at the moment. If the cancelation of Summer Leaves is any indication, we are chronically short.
I am not getting into the little pissing matches that you see flare up here from time to time, however, talking to some of the FO's who joined a few years ago they are expecting an imminent Command Assessment; the only real limitation seemingly being the capacity of the training department to process people through the sausage machine. Despite the World News headlines, Bahrain remains to be a very livable place although it is fair to say everyone is concerned about what the future holds. Having said that, it still is preferable to me over places like Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Qatar, but of course everyone has their own tastes and speaks for them.
Good luck.