Oman’s Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi made a rare visit by such a senior Arab dignitary, whose country has no-diplomatic relations with Israel, to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to pray at the third-holiest site of Islam, the al-Aqsa Mosque. as part of his visit, the Omani top diplomat met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah after which he declared that the establishment of a Palestinian state was necessary to achieve stability and development in the region.
Arab officials visit to pray at the al Aqsa mosque occasionally; but the appearance by a country’s top diplomat is comparatively rare and can be interpreted as a signal of support for the Palestinian claim to East Jerusalem, after the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.