Netanyahu rounds up official visit to Oman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rounded up a secret visit to the Sultanate of Oman after receiving an invitation by its Sultan, Arab 48 reported on Friday.

Netanyahu’s wife Sara, Chief of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad Yossi Cohen and other senior Israeli officials accompanied the Prime Minister during his visit, which followed a similar – but overt – visit by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas that took place on Monday.

On Twitter, Netanyahu said that the visit to the Arab sultanate came after an invitation was made by Sultan Qaboos following lengthy contacts between Omani and Israeli authorities. “It was an important step towards reinforcing ties with the countries in the region,” Netanyahu said.

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Meanwhile, Oman confirmed the news about Netanyahu’s visit, with the official Omani TV Channel broadcasting footage of him shaking hands with Qaboos. Omani TV explained that the visit aimed to discuss plans to push forward the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, in addition to discussing a number of issues of common interest.

A PA official said that Abbas, who was also invited by the Sultan, discussed potential plans to resume peace talks with Israel.

In 2017, Netanyahu claimed that Israel had no problem with Arab leaders, but rather with those Arab nations which “receive distorted information about Israel”.