Sudan discusses normalization with Israel
After distancing themselves from Iran and allying with the Sunni coalition in an attempt to draw closer to the West, President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is trying to ease the public into the idea of normalizing ties with Israel.
The discourse surrounding the normalization of ties with Israel made headlines again in Sudan after Yousif Al-Kuda, leader of the Islamic opposition party Al-Wasat, spoke about the losses Sudan has suffered over the years for its traditional anti-Israel stance.
Al-Kuda, a controversial cleric, said that "there is no religious law prohibiting us from changing our anti-Israeli stance and examining our ties with Israel."
In the beginning of February, a non-government organization held a conference in Sudan, during which Kuda gave a speech under the title "The Ties with Israel, a religious aspect."
Al-Kuda started his speech by saying "we want the people to now discuss the question of ties with Israel. We have grown tired and suffered enough over the Palestinian issue in a misguided manner."
"Now, countries that maintain contact with Israel have a stronger position to demand Palestinian rights," he added.
Al-Kuda drew a connection between the establishment of economic, commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel and stability and peace in Sudan.
Al-Kuda's words obviously made waves and he was criticized by the opposers to normalization, who much like neighboring Muslim countries, view Israel as the enemy.
But in an interview to the Qatari Al Jazeera, he refused to retract his words. He dubbed the critics' reaction as "emotional" and added: "The leaders (of the critics) are some radical Islamic groups and as long as I speak the truth, I am not afraid, even if I have to pay with my life."
He expressed hope his words will become an initiative that would win the blessing of all streams currently opposing normalization with Israel.
This is the second public statement on the subject within a year. Last January, the issue was raised in Sudan's dialogue conference, which included an allusion to the Foreign Minister Ibrahim Andor, who said: "The issue of normalizing the relations with Israel is a matter that can be examined."
But as said, the story is a bit more complex. Many officials are still very much against normalization of the relations claiming it is religiously unacceptable as they perceive Israel as a hostile, war-mongering, Palestinian killing country.
Despite the sharp yet expected remarks, there are those who claim there have been underlying motions to the contrary for quite some time.
Al-Kuda's remarks did not materialize out of thin air. In recent years, Sudan shifted from its Shiite axis led by Iran (who helped transfer weapons to Hamas) to the Sunni states coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Dr. Haim Koren, Israel's first ambassador to South Sudan and former ambassador to Egypt, explained in a recent article the change in the trend.
Koren explained that the "Saudis, who offered Sudan generous support for distancing themselves from Iran, prompted internal discussions regarding the Sudanese leadership. The former Foreign Minister, Ali Ahmed Karti, has publicly stated that Iran shouldn't be trusted and that it would be best to align with Saudi Arabia. As the rift between Iran and Saudi Arabia grew on the backdrop of the war in Syria, Saudi Arabia urged its Sunni allies to sever their relations with Iran and indeed, so did Sudan in 2016."
"By joining the coalition of Sunni Arab countries, Sudan hinted at the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. The leaks about the possibility of establishing contact with Israel may have been designed to demonstrate to the West that Sudan is serious about migrating closer to the positive axis—on the other side of the 'axis of evil," said Koren.
