Israeli PM Netanyahu makes surprise trip to Oman – which has no diplomatic relations with Jewish state

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the Jewish state Friday after a surprise -- and rare -- official visit to the Gulf state of Oman.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement the prime minister was invited by Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said after lengthy communications between the two nations.

Israel and Oman do not have diplomatic relations. Friday’s meeting was the first of its kind between leaders of the two countries since 1996.

“The visit is a significant step in implementing the policy that is designed to strengthen ties with the countries of the region while leveraging Israel’s advantages in security, technology, and the economy,” the statement said.

Netanyahu met with Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said during the surprise and rare visit to the majority Muslim nation. (Israel Prime Minister's Office)

In a joint statement, the two leaders said the two sides “discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process and discussed a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Netanyahu was accompanied on the surprise trip by his wife, Sara.

The last official visit between the two nations was in 1996 when then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres visited Oman and Qatar and opened Israel Trade Representations in both Gulf states. Before that, Peres’ predecessor Yitzhak Rabin, was the first to visit in 1994.

The last meeting between leaders of the two nations was in 1996 when then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres visited Oman and Qatar. (Israel Prime Minister's Office)

According to The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu hinted at the trip on Thursday when he spoke at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv.

“We always thought that if we solved the Palestinian problem it would open up the doors to peace with the broader Arab world. And that's certainly true if you could do it. But it may mean that equally true and perhaps even truer is that if you open up to the Arab world and you normalize relations with them it will open the door for an eventual reconciliation and peace with the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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YouTube Celebrity Video Tape The Moment He Was Kicked Out Of A Plane For speaking Arabic

DELTA AIR LINES found itself at the centre of a social-media storm when Adam Saleh, a YouTube personality who posts about life as a Muslim American, was removed from one of its flights for—apparently—no greater crime than speaking Arabic. Mr Saleh is not the first passenger of Middle Eastern descent to allege discriminatory treatment by airline staff and passengers. But, true to his profession, he may be the first to have recorded an encounter in real time (see link). At the time of writing, nine hours after disembarkation, his video had been retweeted an incredible 556,000 times on Twitter. see video below

We got kicked out of a @Delta airplane because I spoke Arabic to my mom on the phone and with my friend slim... WTFFFFFFFF please spread pic.twitter.com/P5dQCE0qos

— Adam Saleh (@omgAdamSaleh) 21 December 2016

According to Mr Saleh, who has 2.2m followers on YouTube, the incident began when he telephoned his Arabic-speaking mother while waiting to depart from London for New York. At this point, he claims, a female passenger told him to speak in English—kicking off an angry exchange between him, the woman and her husband. At some point between that encounter and the beginning of the video, more than 20 passengers reported feeling uncomfortable about Mr Saleh’s behaviour. He was subsequently removed from the flight.

“We spoke a different language on the plane, and now we’re getting kicked out,” the YouTube star says in the recording, which begins as he is being escorted down the aisle. “This is 2016…you guys are racist. I cannot believe my eyes.” At least one fellow passenger speaks out in Mr Saleh’s defence, while several others appear to jeer at him by waving and exclaiming “Bye!” The celebrity asserted in subsequent tweets that he was questioned by police before being allowed to board a different flight to New York.

Amid the understandable outrage being expressed on social media, it behooves a calm-head to highlight what we do not yet know about the incident. While Mr Saleh appears composed in the recording, we do not know how he conducted himself in the initial exchange with the female passenger. He may have acted aggressively or threateningly, in which case those calling for his ejection may have been motivated by concerns about their safety. Similarly, we have only his word to go on when asserting that it was an Arabic-language conversation that caused the disagreement.

What we do know is that several passengers, for whatever reason, appear visibly shaken in the recording. We know that Mr Saleh has made a career out of orchestrating and filming self-professed “social experiments”, such as this one from August, in which he appears to conclude that non-Muslims are less honest than Muslims. And we know that, since his experience on Delta, he has received worldwide publicity and substantially grown his online following.

Whatever transpired, there is little doubt that allegations of discrimination by Arab airline passengers are becoming more frequent. Gulliver reported on two such incidents in late 2015 and early 2016, concluding on both occasions that the Muslim passengers involved had been unfairly treated. Unfortunately, these were not the only ones. A Wikipedia page, Flying while Muslim, has a more extensive list. It paints a picture of an intolerant industry that stereotypes all Muslims as potential terrorists. That should alarm everyone who values living in a free and open society.

Mr Saleh has demonstrated a masterful ability to raise public awareness about this issue, whipping up frenzy on social media with his emotive and disturbing video. His allegation deserves a full investigation, which Delta has pledged to conduct. Beyond that, though, Gulliver is unwilling to pass judgment. A YouTube celebrity with a penchant for politicising religion and carrying out pranks may not be the best spokesperson for this cause.