Israel, Sudan agree to normalise ties with US help — Joint statement

Published October 23, 2020
A handout picture provided by Sudan's Prime Minister's office on August 25, 2020, shows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) greeting Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (R) in Khartoum. — AFP/ File
A handout picture provided by Sudan's Prime Minister's office on August 25, 2020, shows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) greeting Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (R) in Khartoum. — AFP/ File

Israel and Sudan agreed on Friday to normalise relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Sudan the third Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past two months.

US President Donald Trump, seeking re-election on Nov 3, sealed the agreement in a phone call on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior US officials said.

As part of the agreement, Trump took steps to remove Sudan from a US government list of countries promoting terrorism. A senior US official said Trump signed a document on Air Force One on Thursday night to notify Congress of his intention to remove Sudan from the list.

Announcing the news on Twitter, US President Trump hailed the move as a "HUGE win today for the United States and for peace in the world", adding that, "More will follow".

“The leaders agreed to the normalisation of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations,” according to a joint statement issued by the three countries.

Sudan followed a path begun by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in striking deals aimed at normalising relations with Israel.

The agreement was negotiated on the US side by Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security official Miguel Correa.

“This is obviously a great breakthrough,” Kushner told Reuters. “This is obviously going to create a big breakthrough peace between Israel and Sudan. Getting peace agreements done are not as easy as we are making them look right now. They are very hard to do.” A signing ceremony was expected to be held at the White House in coming weeks, the officials said.

The joint statement said the leaders agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture.

Delegations from each country will meet in the following weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas, the statement said.

The statement said Sudan's transitional government has “demonstrated its courage and commitment to combating terrorism, building its democratic institutions, and improving its relations with its neighbors.”

As a result, “the United States and Israel agreed to partner with Sudan in its new start and ensure that it is fully integrated into the international community,” the statement said.

Kushner called the normalisation deals the start of a “paradigm shift” in the Middle East. He said Sudan's decision was symbolically significant because it was in Khartoum in 1967 that the Arab League decided not to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Opinion

Editorial

Increased inflows
Updated 12 Jan, 2025

Increased inflows

Govt must devise a strategy to increase industrial and agricultural productivity to boost exports and reduce reliance on uncertain remittances.
Gwadar’s potential
12 Jan, 2025

Gwadar’s potential

THE Gwadar deep-sea port, completed in 2007, was supposed to be a shining success for the other newly built ports in...
Broken metropolis
12 Jan, 2025

Broken metropolis

KARACHI, Pakistan’s economic juggernaut, is the largest contributor to the nation’s tax revenue. The Federal...
Afghan outreach
Updated 11 Jan, 2025

Afghan outreach

Islamabad should stress stronger counterterrorism measures, yet also engage the Taliban high command in Kandahar as well as politicians in Kabul.
Fragile recovery
11 Jan, 2025

Fragile recovery

STATE Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed appears to be quite optimistic over recent economic gains. That is not unusual;...
Destination Europe
11 Jan, 2025

Destination Europe

THE country’s aviation authorities can rest a little easy. After a four-year banishment from European skies,...