Tahir Mustafa
In trying to explain why the prime minister of the illegitimate Zionist entity, Benjamin Netanyahu visited his country, the Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin ‘Alawi bin ‘Abdullah offered a strange excuse. Attending a security summit in Bahrain’s capital Manama on October 27, the Omani minister said the sultanate would not act as a “mediator” in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
He then admitted what had really motivated the Zionist’s visit to the sultanate. Israel is “present in the region, and we all understand this, the world is also aware of this fact and maybe it is time for Israel to be treated the same and also bear the same obligations,” ‘Abdullah said.
Suppose a serial rapist and killer were on the loose in a neighborhood; would one argue that his presence was a reality and we should accept him? Such a criminal should be apprehended and dealt with according to law. But Arabian rulers have clearly abandoned their last shred of dignity and self-respect, had they any to begin with, and surrendered en masse to the Zionist war criminals.
Netanyahu’s visit to Oman to meet Sultan Qabus late evening on October 25 was a complete surprise and kept secret until the Zionist returned home. Omani TV, however, made no effort to hide the fact. Instead, it showed Netanyahu being warmly welcomed by the sultan. The two were seeing walking together and then sitting for a long discussion. Oman has no diplomatic ties with the Zionists but that has not deterred such meetings from taking place.
Netanyahu took his wife Sara for the visit as well as Mossad intelligence chief Yossi Cohen and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. The make-up of the entourage clearly indicated something much more than “offering ideas to help Israel and Palestinians to come together” was part of the agenda. What it was could be gleaned from the fact that Netanyahu’s visit was preceded by the visit of Mahmud ‘Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority (PA), to Oman.
Netanyahu’s visit must be viewed against the backdrop of US President Trump’s “deal of the century” idea in which Palestine will be buried permanently and forgotten. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the hardcore Zionist and Likudnick, is spearheading this drive. Kushner has cultivated a close friendship with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The latter added another fiendish act to his long list of barbaric practices by having journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered and then dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The brutal murder sent shockwaves throughout the world and put Bin Salman, who was a partner in Kushner’s diabolical plot against the Palestinians, on the defensive.
Last June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan assured Washington of their support for the plan during visits to those countries by Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, the US envoy to the region. Bin Salman had also called ‘Abbas to Riyadh and put the deal before him. He offered him a $10 billion bribe to accept it and forget about a viable Palestinian state.
The deal is so outlandish that even the imperialist-Zionist agent ‘Abbas could not accept it despite the $10 billion bribe offer. And what is in the deal? Palestinians should forget about Jerusalem as their capital. The US has already declared the sacred city as Israel’s “capital” and moved its embassy there without so much as a whimper of protest from the Arabian rulers or any of the Muslim rulers. The Palestinians were asked to live in Bantustans and would have Abu Dis as their “capital.” But where on earth is Abu Dis? Even some Palestinians have not heard of this non-descript place.
Not surprisingly, Palestinian resistance groups — Hamas and Islamic Jihad — condemned Netanyahu’s visit to Oman. They urged the Arabian rulers to support the oppressed people of Palestine.
Hamas warned about the dangerous consequences of Netanyahu’s visit for the people of Palestine. Islamic Jihad also condemned the visit, saying that by welcoming him, Oman acquitted Netanyahu of the crimes committed against innocent Palestinians.
The visit occurred at the invitation of the Omani ruler, according to Netanyahu’s office. The Zionist war criminal was so pleased with the visit that he tweeted, “A special visit in Oman — we’re making history!” He also posted a video of his reception and meeting with the Omani ruler. His office issued a statement saying Netanyahu discussed the Middle East peace process “and other issues of shared interest” with Sultan Qabus.
What peace process is Netanyahu referring to and what “other issues of shared interest” could there be? There is no peace process; it is dead. The only thing happening is Zionist brutality against hapless Palestinians who suffer daily humiliations at the hands of the colonizers. The “other issues of shared interest” need closer scrutiny.
That also explains why Netanyahu was so enthusiastic about his visit to tiny Oman that is not considered a Middle Eastern heavyweight. Two Arabian regimes — Egypt and Jordan — already have diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity. Others, like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have close links without formal diplomatic ties.
Two factors add to Oman’s importance. First, it sits on the Western side of the Persian Gulf (dominated by Islamic Iran) and hugs the Sea of Oman. Second, Oman’s Salalah Port is close to the Yemeni border where a brutal Saudi-led war has raged since March 2015. Any Israeli encroachment in Oman undermines Islamic Iran and threatens the struggle of the Yemeni people against the Saudis and their agents.
Unlike other Arabian regimes, hitherto Oman had maintained a fairly balanced policy, especially vis-à-vis Islamic Iran. It had also not allowed itself to be railroaded into the disastrous policy of surrender to the Zionist entity. This, however, may be changing under US and Saudi pressure.
America’s Middle East policy is unraveling as Arabian regimes grab at each other’s throats. In Syria, the warmongers have been defeated after seven years of bloodletting. President Bashar al-Asad is still in power and his army is close to liberating the last province — Idlib — from the clutches of the takfiri terrorists.
The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi has exposed the Saudi crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman as a monstrous brute. He is not the “moderate” the West has been trying to project him to be. And since Bin Salman was the lynchpin of the surrender brigade, his atrocious conduct has made him an international pariah, at least for now. The Saudi regime is likely to be engulfed in turmoil in the foreseeable future, so why would Oman want to join the camp led by the Bani Saud?
Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” that is being imposed on the Palestinians through the Arabian rulers may not make much headway in the present circumstances. Oman’s public embrace of Netanyahu makes no sense unless there are other factors that have not been made public.
It is, however, a stab in the back of the Palestinians.
Why would the rulers of Oman welcome the war criminal Benyamin Netanyahu in their midst?
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