AMMAN — The Sultanate of
Oman has pledged not to begin the normalization process of relations with
Israel, according to Israeli media. This comes after the Gulf country opened
its airspace to Israeli planes last Thursday.
اضافة اعلان
"Oman pledged to
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that it will not begin the
normalization process with the Israeli entity. The Palestinian Authority agreed
not to condemn Oman's permission for Israeli planes to fly in its
airspace," Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
Israel’s foreign minister
said last Thursday that Oman has decided to allow Israeli planes to fly through
its airspace. The announcement was another sign of closer ties between Israel
and some Arab countries, according to the Associated Press.
Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority
tweeted that it “affirms that the Sultanate’s airspace is open for all carriers
that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying,” without directly
mentioning Israel.
‘Historic’In a related context,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted today, "We are expanding
the circle of peace by approving Israeli flights over Oman."
He added, "Israel has
become a central transit point between Asia and Europe, and we continue to work
on expanding the circle of peace." For his part, Israeli Foreign Affairs
Minister Eli Cohen said he considered the decision "historic for the
Israeli economy and the Israeli traveler."
In a live broadcast on his
Twitter account, Cohen said that "the decision to open Omani airspace to
Israeli planes will greatly reduce the duration of flights from Israel to the
east, reduce airfare prices, and allow Israeli companies to compete."
Boycott lawThe sudden decision by Oman
comes despite the recent approval by Oman’s lower house of parliament to expand
its Israel boycott law.
The Majlis al-Shura, or
Consultative Assembly, voted to amend the first clause of its Israel boycott
law to include any sports, cultural or economic contact. The amendment also
specifically bans in-person or online interaction with Israelis.
Assembly Vice-President
Yaaqoub Al-Harethi explained that the amendment would “expand the
criminalization and expand the boycott” of Israel, according to the Omani WAF
news agency’s Twitter account.
In October 2018, Netanyahu,
who was also prime minister at the time, made a surprise visit with his wife to
Oman, where they were warmly received by the late Sultan Qaboos of Oman and
Omani officials.
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