Israel, Sudan Move to Normalize Relations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Sudanese military leader Abeel Fattah al-Burhan (right) have long been at odds. (Wikimedia Commons)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have decided to begin normalizing relations between their countries. This move represents a historic turn in relations for the two countries, which have long been at odds. Sudan, a member of the Arab League, has never officially recognized Israel’s existence.
The two countries announced their decision after holding an unplanned meeting in Uganda where Netanyahu was meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. A statement released by the Israeli government following the meeting praised Sudan for moving “in a new and positive direction.”
The decision has been met with significant controversy in Sudan. Following the decision, protests began in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, and several government ministers made clear that they only became aware of al-Burhan’s decision through the media. When asked for comment on al-Burhan’s decision, senior Sudanese officials, including the foreign minister and information minister, both claimed that they were given no prior notice of the meeting.
The same officials also made clear that al-Burhan had not discussed the decision with his cabinet, claiming that al-Burhan had largely acted alone and seemingly without the support of much of his government. Al-Burhan currently serves as the chairman of the transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, the country’s 11-member collective head of state, meaning that he does not necessarily have the power to act unilaterally. His decision has pushed some opposition groups to claim that al-Burhan acted unconstitutionally.
The Sudanese Communist Party and some Islamist groups also condemned the decision. Similarly, many Arab leaders denounced the meeting between Netanyahu and al-Burhan and the decision to normalize relations. A senior Palestinian official described the decision as a “stab in the back of the Palestinian people.” Similarly, Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, characterized the move as a “stark departure from the Arab peace initiative at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are trying to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
Some analysts have suggested that Sudan’s decision to normalize relations is part of a wider strategy to have the nation removed from the United States’ list of state sponsors of terrorism. Sudan is in the middle of an economic crisis, and the country has long seeked to gain greater access to international markets as a means of spurring growth. Its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism has long frustrated Sudan’s economy, as the country has been largely inelligable for foreign aid and investment from the U.S. Indeed, following Netanyahu and al-Burhan’s meeting, Secretary of State Micheal Pompeo celebrated the decision and “thanked General al-Burhan for his leadership in normalizing ties with Israel.”
For Israel, the decision is part of a larger strategy to normalize diplomatic relations with many Muslim-majority countries. Israel has already normalized relations with Jordan and Egypt, and it has been a goal of Netanyahu to expand this list further.