Oman’s decision to host an Israeli leader was well-intentioned as it has long acted as a regional go-between, but any step toward recognition of Israel should be avoided, a senior official said.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian parliament speaker’s special advisor on international affairs, made the statement in a recent interview with Al-Alam News Network when asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Friday visit to Oman, ISNA reported.
“The moves by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE in recent months prove that their rulers are trying to use the opportunity provided by certain seminars, conferences, sports competitions and trade ties to move toward normalization of relations with the Zionist regime, but I believe that Oman is an exception,” he said.
Amir-Abdollahian said the sultanate’s hosting of such a meeting was meant to “help the Palestinians” but added that Iran rejects “anything that would contribute to the recognition and endorsement of the Zionist regime”.
The rare visit by Netanyahu to Oman—which has long been to the Middle East what neutral Switzerland is to global diplomacy—came days after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid a three-day visit to the Persian Gulf country. Both leaders met with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos.
“Among the issues discussed were ways to advance the peace process in the Middle East as well as several matters of joint interest regarding the achievement of peace and stability in the Middle East,” said a joint statement by the Israeli and Omani leaders issued by Netanyahu’s office.
US Support
Asked whether the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has taken a strongly partisan turn toward supporting Israel, helped arrange such a meeting, Amir-Abdollahian said it is early to pass judgment.
“Given my understanding of Sultan Qaboos’ personality and Oman, it is too soon to say whether such a step falls in line with Trump’s moves or not,” he said.
However, he said it is obvious to everyone that the Americans, particularly the Trump administration, have gone to great lengths to support Israel.
It is partly related to the close personal relationship between Netanyahu and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and partially rooted in Washington’s attempts to help the regime gain legitimacy in the region, the official said.
Normalization of Ties
Mohammad Saleh Sedqian, the head of Tehran-based Arabic Center for Iranian Studies, maintains that the visit by the Israeli leader to Oman was in line with efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations.
“The US government has been making efforts to normalize ties between Israel and Arab states,” Sedqian said in remarks carried by IRNA on Tuesday, while adding that the US has vested interests in close Arab-Israeli relations.
Israel currently has diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan.
Hassan Hanizadeh, an international affairs analyst, said he sees the meeting as a prelude to the opening of Israeli embassies in Persian Gulf Arab countries.
"Such meetings will only grant legitimacy to a regime that is committing atrocities against the people of Palestine in the occupied territories," the expert told ISNA in a recent interview.
