Netanyahu: Israel has broad ties with Arab and Islamic states

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel has broad ties with Arab and Islamic states, Israeli radio in Arabic said.

The station reported him saying that there are “covert and overt” ties with the Arab and Islamic states.

He stressed that “what is hidden is more important.”

In recent months, Israeli establishment figures have made a number of visits to Gulf states, including Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In December 2018, Netanyahu boasted that, following his meeting with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in October, Israel had been granted permission to use Omani airspace.

Although in practical terms Israel cannot take advantage of the offer in the absence of a similar agreement with Saudi Arabia – which separates the two countries – the move signifies an unprecedented level of cooperation between Muscat and Tel Aviv. Israel has also made diplomatic overtures to Bahrain, with some Israeli media outlets predicting that Bahrain will sign a peace treaty with Israel soon.

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