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TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to meet Oman’s ruler this week to discuss regional issues, the first official summit between the leaders and a sign of improving relations between Israel and the Arab Gulf states.
Mr. Netanyahu returned from Oman on Friday afternoon after meeting Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the Israeli leader’s office said in a statement. He was accompanied by his wife, Sara, and several senior Israeli officials including the head of the country’s spy agency, Yossi Cohen. A brief statement released by Oman said the meeting between the two leaders took place on Thursday.
Israel has no formal diplomatic relations with Oman or its Arab Gulf neighbors. But boosting ties, particularly on the basis of a shared interest in countering regional rival Iran, has been a priority for Mr. Netanyahu as prime minister. Israel shares some intelligence information with Arab Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., according to current and former American and Israeli officials. But cooperation has remained tacit absent a resolution to the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office said the visit is a significant step toward his goal “of deepening relations with the states of the region while leveraging Israel’s advantages in security, technology and economic matters.”
“This is one of the signs of the tectonic shift in the Middle East in which Israel finds itself on the same side of many moderate Arab countries that are willing to work together and face security challenges together,” said Lior Weintraub, former chief of staff of Israel’s embassy in Washington and now vice president of the Israel Project.
Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Al Said, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu look at a map during their meeting in Oman.
Photo:
israeli prime minister office ha/Shutterstock
Oman has long served as a bridge between countries in the region, including as a back channel between the U.S. and Iran ahead of talks that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Israel released several photos of the visit, including the two men shaking hands, sitting side by side in an ornate meeting room and looking at a map of the region together. Omani state television showed clips of Mr. Netanyahu and his wife arriving at an Omani royal palace in the capital city of Muscat, and the two were greeted with handshakes by the sultan and a large number of officials at the residence.
Mr. Netanyahu and Sultan Qaboos discussed Middle East peace and regional stability, the Israeli leader’s office said. He visited Oman at the sultan’s invitation, after what Israeli officials said were lengthy discussions between the two sides.
Mr. Netanyahu’s visit to Oman comes after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas earlier this week also visited Oman at Sultan Qaboos’s request, according to the Palestine News Agency.
The visit is a sign of warming ties between Israel and Oman as well as a broader detente in the region, but Saudi Arabia and Jordan are seen as having more influence with the Palestinians when it comes to pressing the sides closer together in peace negotiations.
Jason Greenblatt, the Trump administration’s special envoy for negotiations and part of its Middle East peace plan team, is expected to visit Israel next week for consultations.
Following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, there was some initial improvement on relations between Israel and its Arab Gulf neighbors. Shimon Peres was the last Israeli leader to visit Oman in 1996, after the countries signed an agreement to open trade offices in each other’s countries. But Oman closed its office in Israel in 2000 in the wake of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising.
Write to Felicia Schwartz at [email protected]
