Oman welcomes Bahrain-Israel normalisation agreement

Bahrain is the second Gulf country to normalise relations with Israel. The UAE and Israel signed a peace accord last month.

"The Sultanate [of Oman] welcomes the initiative taken by the sisterly kingdom of Bahrain, within the framework of its sovereign rights, and the joint tripartite declaration on relations with Israel," a statement from the Omani government said.

The Bahrain-Israel deal was a "strategic" move that could lead to the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, the statement added.

"[Oman] hopes this new strategic path taken by some Arab countries will contribute to bringing about a peace based on an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and on establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital," the statement said.

Palestinians have condemned both the Bahrain-Israel and the UAE-Israel normalisation deals as "a stab in the back", saying that they reward Israel while allowing it to maintain its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as its siege of Gaza.

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After the signing of the UAE-Israel normalisation deal last month, Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen said that Oman could also reach an agreement with Israel soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman in 2018 and the Omani ambassador to the US attended the announcement of President Trump's widely condemned 'Deal of the Century' peace plan, which allows Israel to annex large parts of the West Bank.

However, Oman has not yet indicated that it intends to sign a normalisation treaty with Israel.

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