Report: Sudan seeks economic support in return for ties with Israel

Sudanese officials are holding a decisive meeting with counterparts from the US and UAE over signing a normalisation deal with Israel and have asked for economic support in return, Israel’s Walla news site reported yesterday.

According to report, Khartoum is asking for billions in economic assistance in return for siginng an agreement with Tel Aviv; if demands are met, an announcement could come within days.

Sudan has been among a number of countries touted as possibly inking a deal with Israel, following the diplomatic move made by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain last Tuesday.

HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 13, 2020

Reportedly, Sudan is asking for oil and wheat shipments worth $1.2 billion to cope with recent devastating floods, a $2 billion grant to deal with Sudan’s economic crisis and a commitment of economic support from the US and the UAE over the next three years.

On the other hand, Qatar has completely rejected normalising ties with Israel, stressing that this is not the core of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

Speaking to Bloomberg last week, spokesperson of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater said: “We don’t think that normalization was the core of this conflict and hence it can’t be the answer.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump said he also expects Saudi Arabia to normalise relations with Israel following the diplomatic move taken by Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates at a White House ceremony.

READ: Sudan leadership divided over whether to normalise ties with Israel