Oman to open embassy in Palestinian territories

Oman said yesterday that it has decided to open an embassy in the Palestinian territories in support of the Palestinian people, in a first for a Gulf Arab state. “In continuation of Oman’s support for the Palestinian people, the Sultanate of Oman has decided to open a diplomatic mission at the level of embassy in the State of Palestine,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Twitter.

A delegation from the foreign ministry will travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to take the necessary measures to open the embassy, the statement said. Oman was also the first Gulf state to receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October 2018.

Last year Oman’s state minister for foreign affairs, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah. He also made a rare visit by an Arab official to the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque complex in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.