Oman FM: We will not be third Gulf state to normalize ties with Israel

JULY 10, 2021 11:40

Oman will not be the third country to normalize ties with Israel, Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday.

“Oman believes in the principle of achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution,” said Busaidi, after he was asked about a call with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

“This is the only option affirmed by the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy,” he said.

“We are with the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and we respect the sovereign decisions of states, just as we expect others to respect our sovereign decisions,” Busaidi said.

Oman’s foreign minister told his Israeli counterpart he hopes Israel’s new government will take concrete steps towards creating an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, Omani state media said last month.

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Busaidi spoke by phone to Lapid, according to ONA, the state news agency of Oman, which has a longstanding policy of neutrality in the turbulent region and often acts as a mediator.

In February, Busaidi said Oman was satisfied with its current relationship with Israel, even after its fellow Gulf states the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel last year under the US-brokered |Abraham Accords.