Israel-Sudan peace deal ‘will happen,’ according to officials on both sides

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with top leaders in Khartoum to push Israel-Sudan peace deal.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A report on Wednesday revealed that a peace deal between Sudan and Israel is on the horizon.

Building on the momentum from the UAE-Israel peace deal announced on August 13, an Israeli government official told Israel Hayom that “Sudan will also declare peace with Israel in a few weeks. We are close to that and it will happen.”

Sudanese officials allegedly confirmed the progress to Israel Hayom.

The report comes on the heels of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s historic visit to Khartoum, on the first ever direct flight from the Jewish State to Sudan.

During his meeting on Tuesday with Sudanese Transitional Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, Pompeo discussed the possibility of normalization between Sudan and Israel.

“Pleased to meet with Sudanese Prime Minister @SudanPMHamdok today in Khartoum to underscore U.S. support for Sudan’s democratic transition and discuss Sudan’s commitment to deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship,” Pompeo tweeted after the meeting.

“Excellent visit to Khartoum and thankful to my Sudanese counterparts for substantive discussions.”

Hamdok told Pompeo that the transitional government doesn’t have the authority to make a decision on normalization with Israel. But the chairman of the Transitional Council, Abd al-Fatah al-Burhan, who met with Netanyahu six months ago, is reportedly interested in strengthening ties with both the U.S. and Israel.

Arab media reported that Hamduk asked Pompeo to remove Sudan from its “state sponsors of terrorism” list, partly due to Sudan’s willingness to normalize relations with Israel.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen lauded the news in a statement. “Only recently, the Intelligence Ministry published a document that mapped out areas of common interest for Israel and Sudan,” he said.

“Sudan can help Israel prevent weapons smuggling to the Gaza Strip via the Red Sea, and help our war on terrorism. An agreement would also allow us to send illegal migrants from Sudan back to their country.”

Pompeo continued his tour of the Middle East on Wednesday, touching down in Manama, Bahrain. From there, he will visit Oman and the UAE, with another unnamed country in the region possibly on the itinerary.

“Glad to arrive in the Gulf today with Bahrain as my first stop. We need Gulf unity now more than ever to counter Iran and to build lasting peace and prosperity,” he tweeted.

“The Abraham Accords show that peace is achievable. Seizing the momentum is vital.”