The Gulf state of Oman said it’s time to acknowledge Israel’s existence, articulating that outreach a day after a secret meeting between their leaders was divulged.
“I will say this for the first time: Israel is a state that is present in this region and we all know this,” Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawi said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain on Saturday. “Maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same and also bear the same obligations as other countries.”
…Bin Alawi defended his position by highlighting the historical presence of Jews in the Middle East, pointing to Islamic texts that attested to that, and touting the mutual benefits of stronger Arab-Israeli ties.
“The Torah saw the light in the Middle East and the prophets of Israel were born in the Middle East,” he said. “We cannot exclude anyone in this region.” The Israeli government had no comment on Bin Alawi’s remarks.