Israel Shamay/Makor Rishon
Israel Hayom, Mar. 12, 2025
“Parallel to its relations with the West, Oman plays a double game.”
Nearly two weeks ago, phase one of the deal between Israel and Hamas concluded, with Israel halting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip several days after its completion. In response, on Friday, the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced a “return to maritime operations against Israeli vessels” if aid is not allowed into Gaza within four days – meaning by Tuesday, March 11.
Since the completion of the first phase of the deal, intensive negotiations have been ongoing between the parties, with attempts to bridge the gaps between them, but at this stage it appears highly likely that fighting on the southern front is expected to resume. The latest Houthi threat refers to “only” maritime actions, but as the Houthis have declared in the past, if Israel resumes fighting in Gaza – they will resume attacking Israel. As a result, the Houthi threat to the country, which includes launching ballistic missiles, UAVs, and more – is back on the table.
Since the beginning of the war, there has been a new awareness in Israel and worldwide regarding the major terrorism financiers in the world, Qatar and Iran, but there is also one entity that manages to stay under the radar despite its support for the Houthis – Oman.
The Qatari game
In recent years, there has been a certain warming in relations between Oman and Israel.
In 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an official diplomatic visit to Oman, the first since 1996, where he met with then-Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. This followed prolonged contact between the countries that began about 40 years earlier, mostly under the table. ...SOURCE