A senior Sudanese government minister has called for establishing relations with Israel, a surprising move given that Sudan never recognized the Jewish state and bans its citizens from visiting it.
While not technically an enemy state, Sudan is close to both Iran and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, whose leaders it has hosted.
Speaking about Israel during a television interview on Sunday, Investment Minister Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi explained that in his view "there is no problem normalizing relations with Israel. The Palestinians normalized relations with Israel, even Hamas is talking to Israel. The Palestinians receive tax money from Israel and electricity from Israel. The Palestinians sit with Israel and talk to Israel. They have disputes but they sit with them.”
“The issue has changed,” he said, referencing sub-rosa and unofficial relations between Israel and a number of Arab states.
“The Arab countries trafficked in the Palestinian issue for domestic purposes The Palestinian issue has held back the Arab world and Arab regimes are taking advantage of it to oppress their own peoples in the name of the struggle for Palestine,” the Sudanese politician accused, adding that they should not have opposed the 1947 plan to partition Mandatory Palestine.
“One can agree with the Israelis or disagree with them, but they have a democratic regime. They prosecute their leaders and send them to prison and they have transparency.”
Israel has full diplomatic relations with South Sudan, which gained its independence in 2011.