Sudanese Cabinet votes to repeal Israel boycott law

Vote to annul long-standing embargo seen as a step that could pave the way for official visits and further diplomatic ties between the two nations that normalized ties last year
Reuters|
Sudan's Cabinet voted on Tuesday to repeal a 1958 law that forbade diplomatic and business relations with Israel, it said in a statement, the latest development in relations between the two countries.
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  • The move needs the approval of a joint meeting of Sudan's sovereign council and Cabinet, which serves as Sudan's interim legislative body, to come into effect, the Cabinet said.
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    שר המודיעין אלי כהן וראש מועצת הריבונות של סודן אל-בורהאן
    שר המודיעין אלי כהן וראש מועצת הריבונות של סודן אל-בורהאן
    Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen and Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, meeting in Khartoum
    While Sudan's civilian authorities have maintained that the decision to initiate relations with Israel would be left to the yet-to-be-formed transitional parliament, Tuesday's vote is seen as a step that could pave the way for official visits and further diplomatic ties.
    Sudan last year joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in agreeing to move toward normalized relations with Israel in Abraham Accords deals brokered by the Trump administration.
    2 View gallery
    Sudan's Prime Ministers office on August 25, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) greets Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (R) in Khartoum
    Sudan's Prime Ministers office on August 25, 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) greets Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok (R) in Khartoum
    Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo greets Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in Khartoum, August 25, 2020
    (Photo: AFP)
    Normalization with Israel is seen in Sudan as an initiative led by the military, which has welcomed visits by Israeli officials in recent months.
    One of those officials, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, welcomed Khartoum's move.
    "This is an important and necessary step toward the signing of a peace accord between the countries," Cohen said in a statement, which did not expand on when such an event might take place.
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