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Foreign minister of Oman denies normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel

Yusuf Bin Alawi said what has been an apparent warming of relations between the two is “a peaceful process to find a settlement for the Palestinian cause that guarantees their rights and the interests of all.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Oman, October 2018. Credit: Benjamin Netanyahu via Twitter.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Oman, October 2018. Credit: Benjamin Netanyahu via Twitter.

Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawi announced on Monday that there is no diplomatic normalization with Israel, saying that what has been an apparent warming of relations between the two is “a peaceful process to find a settlement for the Palestinian cause that guarantees their rights and the interests of all.”

Addressing a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Alawi said Oman backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and refuted the notion that his country is working on Israel’s behalf.

In October, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin visited Oman and met with its ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has led his country for nearly 50 years.

It was the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to the country since Shimon Peres in 1996.

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The policy goes “far beyond the boundaries of legitimate political debate,” the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said.