Dr.Mohamed Abdelaziem Elchime
Associate Prof. Political Science.. Helwan University
Thursday meeting between Sultan Qaboos bin Said and Prime Minister represent a sign of closer ties for Israel with an influential Persian Gulf nation that has long acted as a regional go-between, and as the first such visit by an Israeli prime minister in 22 years. This visit was the fruit of four months of negotiations, according to the Israeli official, and follows many years of secret relations between Israel and Oman, led by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and Sultan Qaboos, who has led Oman since 1970.
The two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, and Oman closed an Israeli trade office in Oman in 2000 because of animosity over the second Palestinian uprising, so this meeting comes to improve relations with Oman and that could offer a back channel for communication with some of Israel’s enemies in the region.
Oman gets to show the West a relatively liberal and modern face of the Gulf and one that is in step with the policies of the United States administration, the official said. Israel, for its part, hopes the visit will ultimately lead to the return of some kind of diplomatic representation in Oman. Israel maintained another trade office in Qatar until that, too, was shut down in 2009.
In addition, Oman has carefully managed to maintain cordial relations with countries that are adversaries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. It hosted secret talks between Iran and the United States in 2013 that paved the way for broader negotiations to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and there was speculation in Israel Friday that Oman could serve as a back channel between Israel and Iran, Israel’s archenemy.
that given Oman’s image as an honest broker to all countries in the region there was a possibility that the now-public relationship with Mr. Netanyahu could open more doors for Israel. The official said he did not rule out the possibility that Oman could become a secret channel for Israel not just with Iran but also with Syria.
Oman also maintains good relations with Israel’s other enemies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
The visit to Oman came against the background of reports that the Trump administration may soon present its plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Moreover, Hosting Mr. Netanyahu could win favor with the White House.
US Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt attends a press conference regarding the water agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on July 13, 2017. And he mentions that Netanyahu’s visit comes just days after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also met with the sultan in Muscat.
He added that US lauded the development. “We welcome the warming ties & growing cooperation between our regional friends,” special envoy for Middle East peace. And he emphasis that “This is a helpful step for our peace efforts & essential to create an atmosphere of stability, security & prosperity between Israelis, Palestinians & their neighbors.”
So this visit comes to draw a role for Oman in the region by pursuing a foreign policy that seeks to deal with reality with a pragmatic mind and manages its strategic interests based on its standing as a neutral party in all Arab and regional issues, as peace processes, and deal with Iran role in the Gulf.
