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Israeli official meets Omani FM in push to normalize ties
November 14, 2022
Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi says Oman supports 'achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace'
Two years into the signing of the historic Abraham Accords that normalized ties between Israel and a number of Arab states, Jerusalem continues efforts to usher in new partners in the region.
i24NEWS has learned that a senior Israeli official recently met with Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood al-Busaidi to advance ties and boost regional cooperation.
An official Israeli Foreign Ministry document obtained by i24NEWS said the meeting – which took place at the sidelines of the MEDRC forum in Oman and attended by Israel’s Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General and Head of Middle East & Peace Process Division – said the sultanate seeks to differentiate itself from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and therefore any future advancement in ties would require a separate and direct link between Muscat and Jerusalem with an emphasis on the fruits of economic peace and in line with the guidelines from Saudi Arabia.
A concerning issue on Israel's agenda is the future opening of Oman's skies to Israeli flights. Securing passage over the skies of the Persian Gulf Arab country is necessary to take advantage of Saudi Arabia's announcement of opening its airspace to Israeli flights. The case was raised in the meeting with al-Busaidi, but no breakthrough has been made so far.
The Omani minister stressed his country prefers to have an active but quiet involvement in the region that will enable it to maintain direct dialogue with both Israel and Palestinians.
Israel, for its part, offered Oman to join the Negev Forum and cooperate in a number of regional projects with an emphasis on those benefiting Palestinians.
Back in July, following a phone call with outgoing Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid, al-Busaidi said in an interview that his country will not be the third Gulf nation to normalize ties with Israel but also affirmed his country’s support for what he called "achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
While no concrete decisions have been made on the key issues, Israel sees the mere existence of the meeting as significant progress that could open the door to more high-level talks in the near future. In the meeting that was held just before the Israeli elections, al-Busaidi said he was open to a meeting on a ministerial level after the formation of the new government.
Back in 2018, then-Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Muscat where he met with the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, being the first Israeli leader to publicly travel to the Gulf country since 1996. His visit was then followed by a trip of Israel's Transportation and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz to attend an international conference.
In 1996, the late Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres traveled to Oman and Qatar as Israel’s leader and opened a trade office in the Gulf country. The late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin made the first trip to Oman in 1994.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has declined to comment.