Oman parliament votes to further criminalise Israel ties, expansion on boycott law,

Oman's parliament on Monday voted on a draft amendment to expand its law banning ties with Israel, during a meeting in which a number of draft laws were discussed.

The amendment is for Article 1 of the Royal Decree, which currently bans "interaction with the Zionist entity for private and public figures", according to The Times of Israel. 

The amended law will include a ban on any sports, cultural and economic contact, and on interacting with Israelis in person and online.

The Shura Council’s Vice President Yaaqoub Al-Harethi described the amendment as an expansion on the criminalisation and boycott of Israel, according to the Omani WAF news agency.

Omani law already states that citizens are barred from making contact with individuals or entities based in Israel for any purpose, whether directly or through a third party.

Muscat officially adheres to the Arab League’s stance that any form of diplomatic relations with Israel is entirely dependent on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Oman and the US held talks to open its airspace for Israeli aircraft, in a bid by Washington to push for more Arab states to normalise ties with Tel Aviv - but Muscat refused to agree to the move.

Last month, the Israeli website i24 revealed that a meeting took place between an Israeli official and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi, in an attempt to bring more Arab countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Sultanate in 2018 and met with then-Sultan Qaboos bin Said, becoming the first Israeli leader to travel to the country since 1996.