A joint statement by the three countries “agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations.”
“In addition, the leaders agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture.’’ “The leaders also agreed that delegations will meet in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas for the benefit of the two peoples.”
Sudan, an Arab-Muslim-majority country, has agreed to normalize its ties with Israel and “agreed to make peace,’’U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday.
“We are expanding the circle of peace so rapidly.This truly changes the region. It changes the lives of all our people for the better,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump by phone on Friday as Trump brought reporters to make the announcement, surrounded by administration members, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
Also on the phone was Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
A joint statement by the three countries “agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations.”
“In addition, the leaders agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture.’’ “The leaders also agreed that delegations will meet in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas for the benefit of the two peoples.”
It also stated that they “resolved to work together to build a better future and advance the cause of peace in the region. This move will improve regional security and unlock new opportunities for the people of Sudan, Israel, the Middle East and Africa.”
The move follows the White House announcement that Trump has informed Congress of his intent to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, following Khartoum’s agreement to pay $335 million in compensation to victims of the Al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and on the destroyer USS Cole in 2000—attacks that American courts have ruled Sudan aided and abetted.
Sudan cannot receive foreign aid until it is removed from the U.S. list of terrorism list, which it has been on since 1993 for allegedly granting refuge and assistance to the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists.
The Sudanese military overthrew the 10-year dictatorship of former leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. A mixed military-civilian government currently rules the country until possible elections in 2022.
Sudan has long been viewed as a hostile country towards the Jewish state. Its rejection of Israel was made famous with the 1967 Khartoum Resolution, issued at the conclusion of the Arab League summit in the wake of the Six-Day War and declaring the “Three Nos”: no peace, no recognition, no negotiations.
However, the new government, keen on reforming the economy and expand international investment, sees friendlier ties with Israel as a step in improving relations with the United States. Sudan’s western neighbor, Chad, established ties with Israel in 2019, and South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, also has diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
The United States has so far brokered normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Jordan recognized Israel in the 1990s, while Egypt was the first to sign a peace deal in 1979.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I do see an enthusiasm from most countries in the world, from most people in the world across the political divide. Yeah, Iran is unhappy, Hezbollah is unhappy, Hamas is unhappy, but most everybody else is very happy.”