The diplomatic incident with the Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, support for Hamas and economic interests • This is how Sudan became an ally
Burhan and Hamdukh, leaders of Sudan
Photography:
AFP
The expected announcement of the decision to normalize relations between Israel and Sudan, as first published in "Israel Today", has come a long way and decades of turmoil in relations between the two countries.
The move comes after lengthy negotiations in the UAE between representatives of the United States and the Arab Federation and representatives of the transitional government in Khartoum.
These contacts knew some bumps.
Last August, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman erroneously revealed the existence of these contacts.
Hyder Bedouin said at the time in an interview with the Sky News Arab network that his country expects a peace agreement with Israel, which will be based on Khartoum's interest "without sacrificing its fixed values."
He further stated that there is no reason for the continued hostility between Sudan and Israel and that the existence of such contacts should not be denied.
But as a result, the State Department itself expressed astonishment at what he said.
Bedouin, for his part, claimed that he said the things on his own and that he got the impression that such contacts were indeed taking place.
The denial did not help him and according to a report in Al-Jazeera, he was fired.
Another teacher was Prime Minister Abdullah Hamduk's reservation about the move ahead of the US presidential election.
Hamduk expressed opposition to the combination of removing his country from the list of supporters of terrorism and normalization with Israel.
However, according to a senior official in the sovereign council quoted in the Arab media, in recent days a compromise has emerged at the top of the government.
As part of the compromise, the United States will first announce its intention to remove Sudan from the list of pro-terrorism countries and only then will Khartoum announce its intention to normalize relations with Israel.
Indeed, President Trump announced this week that after receiving compensation from Sudan to be transferred to the victims of terrorism, Washington intends to remove it from the list.
His announcement was welcomed by the head of the Sovereign Council, 'Abd al-Fatah al-Burhan, and the prime minister, who stressed that the Sudanese people themselves had never supported terrorism and that the decision would contribute to the country's accession to the world economy.
Another issue was Sudan's desire for economic aid in exchange for the historic move.
In an interview with the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nur a-Din Sati, to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, he addressed the issue of normalization with Israel. "Economic aid may encourage us to consider establishing relations with Israel." , Psychological, social, political and historical do not allow this now.
The current government is a transitional government, but if we remove from the list of countries that fund terrorism and receive financial assistance - we will be able to present the possibility to the people. "
A history of hostility
Unlike the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have never fought against Israel, this time the situation is completely different.
Sudanese participated in the War of Independence even when the country was under the protection of Egypt.
Even in the Six Day War, forces were sent against Israel after independence was achieved.
In addition, over the years it has been claimed in foreign media that Israel trains rebels in the south of the country.
However, during the operation to raise Ethiopian Jews, Israel maintained contacts through the Mossad with the government in Khartoum to facilitate the aliyah operation.
In the late 1980s, dictator Omar al-Bashir, who came to power in a coup and had previously fought in the Yom Kippur War with the Egyptian army, turned the country into a base of terror and sponsored Osama bin Laden.
This move incidentally led the United States to add Sudan to the list of pro-terrorism countries.
According to foreign reports, Israel has even attacked the country several times.
For example, in 2009 a convoy of trucks with weapons sent from Iran to the Hamas terrorist organization was destroyed.
An Iranian weapons ship and the Yarmouk ammunition factory were also attacked.
In April 2019, Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted after 30 years in power.
Al-Bashir waged a bitter war against the rebels in western Darfur and against the Christian minority in southern Sudan.
Bashir became the first incumbent leader to be indicted in the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2009 for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Following protests that began to intensify in late 2018, Bashir was ousted in a coup and the power was seized by a special military council.
As a result, pressure was exerted by the citizens to hold elections in the country, when it was finally decided to establish a joint council for protesters and military personnel.