Voice of America
26 Oct 2020, 06:05 GMT+10
JERUSALEM - Sudan on Friday became the third state to move toward normalizing relations with Israel. But unlike Israel's recent deal with Abu Dhabi where hotels are already promoting packages for Israeli tourists, the deal with Sudan still faces several hurdles, including some public opposition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the normalization deal with Sudan.
Netanyahu called it a dramatic breakthrough to peace and said the famous three "no's" from Sudan in 1967 - no to peace with Israel, no to negotiations with Israel, and no normalization with Israel, turned into three yeses.
Sudan had rejected Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and said Israel must withdraw from all of those areas to make a Palestinian state.
Sudan follows the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain into making peace deals with Israel, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying at least five more are on the way, with Israel hoping that Saudi Arabia, with its huge economy and oil reserves, is one of them.
In Sudan, the situation is a little more complicated. Many Sudanese oppose the normalization of ties with Israel, with demonstrators burning Israeli flags on the streets of Khartoum.
Sudan is also in the process of transitioning form a dictatorship to a democracy. Foreign Minister Omar Gamareldin said that a peace deal with Israel would have to be ratified by a legislative council - a body which does not yet exist. It is not clear when the council will be formed.
For Israel, normalization with Sudan would have important military benefits, says former Israeli Ambassador to Washington Michael Oren.
"The vast majority of rockets that are fired at us from Gaza are not made in Gaza, they're made in Iran. And they get into Gaza by the Sudan," Oren said. "And our peace relationship with Sudan would have an immediate impact in stemming the flow of made in Iran missiles into the Gaza strip. I assume if missiles are getting in, money is getting in, other things are getting in, and it will be very difficult now for Hamas and Islamic Jihad to import Iranian weapons and other materials through the Sudan. And that would be extremely important to us."
The Palestinians have condemned the Arab outreach to Israel as "a new stab in the back" for them.
As part of the deal, Washington also agreed to take Sudan off the list of organizations that support state terrorism.
Get a daily dose of Middle East Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Middle East Star.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the global economy is projected to grow by 5.5 per ...
New Delhi [India], January 27 (ANI/Big News Network): India will reclaim the status of the world's fastest-growing economy, and will ...
WASHINGTON, DC, January 26 (ANI) - The U.S. Senate has confirmed Janet Yellen to be the next Secretary of the ...
Elon Musk is now the world's richest person, edging out previous title holder Amazon's Jeff Bezos. His rocketing fortune is ...
The IMF says the government needs to introduce reforms at SEOs, like Eskom, as the power utility's problems will weigh ...
Vodafone Group is considering options for its Ghana business as the British telecommunications giant focuses on reorganising and paying down ...
HARARE - Zimbabwe's government held burials Wednesday for two Cabinet ministers and a former prison official who died from COVID-19. ...
On Friday, January 22, 2021, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) became international law for the 122 ...
Since September, the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened, infecting close to 100 million people, costing more than ...
The Russian vessel tapped to finish the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has begun work in Danish waters just ...
President Joe Biden has issued an executive order that overturns a ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military.In ...
NEW DELHI, India - India and China have agreed to push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops in ...