By John Ikani
Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, has said Israel and Sudan are set to sign a “historic peace agreement” in Washington in the near future.
The draft for the agreement was finalized during Cohen’s one-day visit to Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Mr. Cohen said his trip was made with the consent of the United States and that the visit “lays the foundations for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab and Muslim country.”
Sudan had agreed to normalize relations with Israel two years ago, but a deal was never implemented.
When signed, the agreement will make Sudan the latest Arab League country to establish ties with Israel, joining the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, who officially normalized relations in 2020 under the Abraham Accords brokered by the US.
The peace agreement between Israel and Sudan is expected to promote regional stability and contribute to the national security of Israel.
A signing ceremony is expected to take place after the transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government, following a military coup in October 2021. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
This is a significant shift, as historically, members of the Arab League have refused to recognize Israel, perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, followed by Jordan in 1994. This new accord with Sudan holds a significant amount of symbolic importance as Khartoum was the site of an Arab League meeting in 1967, where members vowed not to recognize Israel after the Arab-Israeli war.
The growing number of Arab countries formalizing relations with Israel has been criticized by the Palestinians, who see it as a betrayal of their cause.
For years, Arab countries have conditioned peace talks with Israel on its withdrawal from territories occupied in the 1967 war and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry announced that Mr. Cohen and Lt-Gen. Burhan, had “discussed means for establishing fruitful relations with Israel” and strengthening cooperation in various fields, including agriculture, energy, health, water, and education, with a special emphasis on security and military.
