Last Thursday, upon his return from a visit to Khartoum, where he met with the President of the Transitional Council in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that Sudan will officially join the Abraham Accords by the end of the year, after the current military leadership in the country transfers power to a civilian government.
Sudan and Israel had already announced the normalization of relations between them, after the United States, which mediated between the parties, agreed to remove it from the list of countries that support terrorism and pledged to provide it with economic aid. However, the agreement was never implemented, mainly due to the political conditions in Sudan.
Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Cohen and al-Burhan "discussed ways to establish positive relations with Israel" and strengthen cooperation "in the fields of agriculture, energy, health, water, and education, with a special emphasis on the fields of security and the military," areas that include the African country's request for aid.
Sudan is a poor, divided, and torn country, defined according to the accepted parameters as a failed state, with a GNP per capita of about $700. However, it is the third largest country in Africa and has a strategic location on the shores of the Red Sea, with a coastal strip of 850 km that can be used for different needs.
The warming of relations with Sudan comes at a time when the Israeli government is determined to expand the circle of normalization countries to Africa as well, and coincides with the opening of the Chad embassy in Israel by the country's President.
As with other Muslim countries, there is no public support in Sudan for recognition of Israel and there is difficulty in implementing policy, certainly one that is controversial.
The agreement is fragile and if it is indeed implemented, it will strengthen Israel's grip in the Red Sea and Africa and give legitimacy to Israel’s establishing diplomatic relations with other Muslim-African countries. The paradox is that the regime in Sudan, due to domestic sensitivities, is interested in keeping relations with Israel under the surface, and making relations public, as limited as they are, harms the possibility of advancing them, certainly as long as Sudan does not enjoy stability.
Last Thursday, upon his return from a visit to Khartoum, where he met with the President of the Transitional Council in Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that Sudan will officially join the Abraham Accords by the end of the year, after the current military leadership in the country transfers power to a civilian government.
Sudan and Israel had already announced the normalization of relations between them, after the United States, which mediated between the parties, agreed to remove it from the list of countries that support terrorism and pledged to provide it with economic aid. However, the agreement was never implemented, mainly due to the political conditions in Sudan.
Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Cohen and al-Burhan "discussed ways to establish positive relations with Israel" and strengthen cooperation "in the fields of agriculture, energy, health, water, and education, with a special emphasis on the fields of security and the military," areas that include the African country's request for aid.
Sudan is a poor, divided, and torn country, defined according to the accepted parameters as a failed state, with a GNP per capita of about $700. However, it is the third largest country in Africa and has a strategic location on the shores of the Red Sea, with a coastal strip of 850 km that can be used for different needs.
The warming of relations with Sudan comes at a time when the Israeli government is determined to expand the circle of normalization countries to Africa as well, and coincides with the opening of the Chad embassy in Israel by the country's President.
As with other Muslim countries, there is no public support in Sudan for recognition of Israel and there is difficulty in implementing policy, certainly one that is controversial.
The agreement is fragile and if it is indeed implemented, it will strengthen Israel's grip in the Red Sea and Africa and give legitimacy to Israel’s establishing diplomatic relations with other Muslim-African countries. The paradox is that the regime in Sudan, due to domestic sensitivities, is interested in keeping relations with Israel under the surface, and making relations public, as limited as they are, harms the possibility of advancing them, certainly as long as Sudan does not enjoy stability.