Jordan and Oman affirm 'centrality' of Palestinian cause during state visit

King Abdullah and Sultan Haitham say solution must produce an independent state of Palestine

Sultan Haitham is awarded the Order of the Bejewelled Grand Cordon of Al Nahda (Order of the Renaissance) by King Abdullah II on the Jordanian monarch's visit to Oman. Sultan Haitham awarded his guest the Oman Civil Order First Class in appreciation of the deep ties their nations share. @RHCJO via Twitter

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who accompanied King Abdullah on his visit to Oman, discusses co-operation and matters of mutual concern with Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, the sultanate's Foreign Minister. Oman News Agency

King Abdullah, Queen Rania, and Crown Prince Hussein at the House of Musical Arts at the Royal Opera House in Muscat during their visit to Oman. @RHCJO via Twitter

King Abdullah and Sultan Haitham at Muscat's Al Alam Palace in the presence of Crown Prince Hussein. @RHCJO via Twitter

King Abdullah, Queen Rania, and Crown Prince Hussein at the House of Musical Arts at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. @RHCJO via Twitter

King Abdullah II of Jordan visits the National Museum in Doha and is briefed on exhibits that highlight the cultural heritage of Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

King Abdullah II is shown around the National Museum in Doha. Photo: Oman News Agency

King Abdullah II meets dignitaries on his trip to Doha, Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Oman's Sultan Haitham greets Jordan's King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah upon their arrival at the airport in Muscat. Photo: The Royal Hashemite Court

The monarchs travelled to Al Alam Palace for talks. Photo: The Royal Hashemite Court

Sultan Haitham of Oman greets Jordan's King Abdullah II upon his visit to Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Sultan Haitham of Oman greets Queen Rania of Jordan. Photo: Oman News Agency

Sultan Haitham of Oman greets Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan. Photo: Oman News Agency

Jordan's King Abdullah II greets dignitaries upon his arrival in Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Jordan's King Abdullah II greets dignitaries upon his arrival in Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Jordan's King Abdullah II greets dignitaries upon his arrival in Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Jordan's King Abdullah II greets dignitaries upon his arrival in Oman. Photo: Oman News Agency

Sultan Haitham of Oman presents a medal to Jordan's King Abdullah II. Photo: Oman News Agency

The two leaders speak alongside members of their families in Muscat. Photo: The Royal Hashemite Court

Jordan's King Abdullah and Oman's Sultan Haitham issued a joint call on Wednesday to revive efforts to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as they concluded an official visit to Muscat.

The visit came as Jordan steps up its diplomatic efforts to keep the regional focus on the plight of Palestinians. Several Arab countries normalised ties with Israel in the last two years and the Russian invasion of Ukraine introduced new economic concerns in the region.

A joint declaration by the king and Sultan Haitham “affirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the need to meet the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people”.

The two men said any solution must be based on the principle of two states, with a “sovereign and independent” Palestinian state to be established on the territory that Israel occupied in 1967.

The Arab peace initiative should also underpin any Israeli-Palestinian deal, the declaration said, referring to an offer by all Arab states made in Beirut in 2002 to Israel for normalisation across the region in return for the full withdrawal from occupied Arab land, as well as a “just” settlement of the Palestinian refugee issue.

Jordan and Oman regard themselves as centrist states in the Middle East. Their foreign policy is not anti-Israeli, with Jordan signing a peace deal with Israel in 1996, and both countries refrain from direct criticism of Iran.

In Muscat on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Jordan and Oman signed agreements covering tourism, labour, mining, industry and the education sectors, official media said, on the occasion of the king's visit.

On Tuesday King Abdullah and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq discussed regional crises in talks in Muscat.

The meetings were attended by the sons of the two leaders: Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Oman's Crown Prince Dhi Yazan.

King Abdullah was also accompanied by Queen Rania. The couple, along with crown prince Hussein, toured over the last two days the Royal Opera House in Muscat and the National Museum of Oman.