Oman opens airspace for Israeli airlines

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israel’s foreign minister on Thursday thanked the Sultan of Oman for opening the Gulf state’s airspace to Israeli airlines that meet the civil aviation authority’s requirements.

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen thanked Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said on twitter for the “historic decision” which he says will “shorten the flight time from Israel to Asia.” 

Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli carriers to use its airspace last year for destinations in Asia. The decision followed US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East. 

Cohen also extended his gratitude to the United States, indicating that they may have mediated the process. 

The normalization of ties with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords is a US-led joint Middle East peace initiative. Four countries - the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Bahrain, and Morocco - normalized ties with Israel in 2020, supported by America.

Oman and Israel do not have any diplomatic relations but the Arab state was among the first to congratulate fellow Gulf nations, UAE and Bahrain, when they normalized ties. 

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced trip to visit the late Sultan Qaboos in what was perceived at the time as signs of a warming up of ties. 

Over the years, Oman has played a strategic role as a key mediator in the region, particularly between the United States and Iran, as well as between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The opening of Omani airspace to Israeli flights comes at a time of renewed Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip after several rockets were launched from the besieged enclave.