A visit wrapped in secrecy, diverse readings
Israel wants to show it’s not isolated, and Netanyahu will use Oman visit for domestic gains
ANALYSIS
Days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Oman, the details of the trip are still unknown and the motives behind it continue to be a matter of speculation.
Arab analysts offered a range of interpretations of the visit. Some said recent events in the region offered “suitable conditions for an Israeli move” towards further normalising ties with some Arab countries while others believed Netanyahu was using the visit to boost his image ahead of possible elections in Israel.
Israeli media hailed the visit saying it “cracked the wall of no public meetings between Arab leaders and Israel’s prime minister”. Palestinian analysts voiced similar views.
“There is an Israeli interest, since the past two years, and this is not new, to publicly normalise relations with the Arab countries,” said George Giacaman, a Palestinian columnist and professor at the West Bank-based University of Beir Zeit.
Netanyahu’s visit gives a new impetus to the normalisation of ties with Arabs in light of the new American strategy for the Middle East, Giacaman told Gulf News. “The idea is to maintain the normalisation momentum.”
Mohammad Al Saeed Idris, an adviser to the Cairo-based Al Ahram Strategic Studies Centre and a columnist said: “It is a time of uncertainty for different parties, and accordingly it is a perfect time for an Israeli step forward. I also believe Oman was prepared for such a development and it is clear there were communications (before the trip). The visit was not a surprise and it was not a shock,” Idris told Gulf News. Among Netanyahu’s entourage was the Mossad chief, and some Arab analysts said usually intelligence plays a big role in such trips.
Netanyahu’s request
Arab analysts said officially it was announced that Netanyahu’s visit came at his own request, but Israeli media said Netanyahu received an invitation.
Unofficially, some explained that there were unconfirmed ■
The Sultanate has played the role of mediator in many regional issues, including those related to Iran, which has good relations with Muscat
signs that it was the idea of the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who visited Oman a few days earlier. Abbas, according to some analysts, wants the Omanis to arrange a Palestinian-Israeli meeting.
“I exclude the possibility that the visit came at the request” of the Palestinian leader, said Jordanian professor of International relations Hassan Bararri. “I believe the Omanis are dealing directly with the Americans and the Israelis,” said Bararri, who specialises in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israeli domestic and foreign policy and regional politics. However, at the same time, Abbas “feels time is ticking, and maybe he needs a new channel” to talk to the Israelis, he added.
Oman has played the role of mediator in many regional issues, including those related to Iran, which has good relations with Muscat. The sultanate is “used as a stop for different countries interested in sending a message to Iran,” said Bararri.