Oman calls for emergency international conference on Palestine: FM

London: The Sultanate of Oman called for holding an emergency international conference on Palestine that includes all conflicting parties with the aim of reaching an agreement for a permanent ceasefire and ending the conflict in the region in order to achieve regional and international peace.

His Excellency Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the initiative called for by the Sultanate of Oman is similar to the initiative of US President George H.W. Bush, when he called for the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991.

Madrid hosted a series of multilateral negotiations that aimed to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, and it achieved Great progress was made, but then it stopped tragically

In an interview with the British newspaper The Economist, His Excellency pointed out that the Sultanate of Oman – like all its neighbors – is suffering from the consequences of the worsening crisis in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the possibility of further escalation threatens the entire region, so a ceasefire represents a humanitarian and strategic necessity, and the step is Adopting a ceasefire resolution and holding an emergency conference must be done quickly and decisively.

His Excellency said: “In the absence of a Palestinian state, the entire region is doomed to a continuous cycle of violence, and the Palestinians will continue to live under the threat of extinction.”

He explained that Hamas cannot be eliminated, because national liberation movements like Hamas are deeply rooted in their societies and their cause will remain alive no matter how many militants die, so peacemakers must find a way to talk to them and listen to them.

His Excellency pointed out that there is an assumption that the peoples of the Middle East are bound by sectarian logic to the point that they are unable to issue the kind of sophisticated judgments that the peoples of the liberal and democratic West are accustomed to making, and this in itself represents a profound concession, and it also constitutes a mistake in reality.

His Excellency said: “Pluralism is not a privilege of the Western elite; it is a vital part of the history and reality of the Arab world, and the people of the region have their own way of thinking and follow political rulings and not merely adhere to sectarian affiliation.” His Excellency added that in Lebanon today, for example, it is “Hezbollah” that mobilized its forces and carried out military action against Israel, and we were told that “Hezbollah” is a Shiite party and acts as an agent of Iran.

He explained that this situation does not amount to an actual explanation; In fact, Hezbollah enjoys significant popular and political support within Lebanon from various religious sects, including not only Shiite Muslims, but also Sunni Muslims and Christians, and this support is a matter of political choice, not sectarian loyalty.

He explained in this regard, saying: “I am not saying that the people who are represented in Western media as bad guys are in fact the good guys; that is just binary thinking. What I am saying is that bad and good are not useful shades when trying to understand a complex and dynamic situation and act responsibly in it.” His Excellency stressed the importance of talking to all types of stakeholders with different interests and viewpoints, listening to them, and ultimately working with them, and it must be the basis on which we rely to stop the disaster in Palestine.

He said: “The world has postponed the issue of a Palestinian state for too long, and many of those who speak in favor of a two-state solution consider this a goal that must be achieved in the distant future, as if the basic facts of that future will magically change, to make what is impossible now somehow impossible.” “or another is possible.”

He stressed that we must deal with the reality we are living in now, no more postponement, and this reality includes the Hamas movement.

He pointed out that observers of regional affairs sometimes praise the Omanis as mediators, saying: “It is true that we supported peace initiatives starting from Camp David in 1978 until the Madrid Process in 1991 and the Oslo Accords in 1993, as well as the multilateral nuclear agreement with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.” With Iran, and the talks aimed at ending the war in Yemen, and the hostage release operations, but we are preparing the appropriate ground for holding negotiations and are not mediators. Some conclude that mediators participate in rulings, and this is not the Omani way.”

His Excellency added that the conference called for by the Sultanate of Oman must include everyone, because everyone has an interest in reaching the agreement, indicating that Iran will need to make difficult concessions to be part of this process. His Excellency expressed his confidence after dealing with Iranian officials for a period of time. More than thirty years ago, they were able to make such concessions.

He said: “We must also believe that there is an Israeli leadership that can be persuaded to engage in good faith, and the people of Israel deserve better than to live in a world shaped by the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 – a murder committed by a young Israeli extremist, which contributed to the derailment of the “Peace is off track.”

His Excellency emphasized that non-state actors must be dealt with, and this includes not only Hamas and Hezbollah, but also the Ansar Allah group, and other Zaidi Shiites, who have been a big factor in Yemeni politics for centuries, and like all… The Yemenis are neighbors of the Sultanate of Oman, and today they rule most of Yemen, which makes them a de facto government.

He said: “If I may move aside from the Red Sea, I am certain that calm will prevail there if an agreement is reached to stop the war in the Gaza Strip. In the end, the West claims that there is no connection, except that stopping the war is This would give the Ansar Allah group the opportunity to prove a link to the war on Gaza specifically.”

When asked about the appropriate place and time for holding the emergency international conference on Palestine, His Excellency replied: “Where all parties feel comfortable, it may be in Switzerland or Norway, for example, and as soon as possible with the aim of reaching an agreement on a plan to accept the membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.”

“This could serve as a platform for urgent negotiations on a comprehensive two-state solution and everything needed to ensure it.”