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Israel and Oman Share a Convergence of Interests

(Ha'aretz) Yossi Melman - Sultan Qaboos Bin Said al Said, Oman's ruler for fifty years, cultivated close relations with Israel's Mossad in great secrecy. Oman became the third Arab country - after Lebanon and Jordan - to maintain secret ties with the Mossad. In Jordan, those ties were with King Hussein; in Lebanon, with President Camille Chamoun. In 1975, forces from radical socialist South Yemen invaded Oman's Dhofar region in the south in support of a long-running insurgency. Britain and Iran, then ruled by the Shah, tried to quell the revolt but in vain. Israeli military advisers, coordinated by Mossad operative Ephraim Halevy, later head of the agency, rushed to Oman to help end the revolt. The episode was a classic example of the convergence of national interests between Israel and Oman. The Mossad was also instrumental in assisting Oman improve its water resources to irrigate its arid land. One of the more significant benefits of ties with Oman for Israel is the fact that Oman also has good relations with Iran. Through its close contact with Omani officials, Israel was offered a window into Iran's thinking.
2020-01-21 00:00:00
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