Israel, Sudan to normalize ties? Not so fast
The normalization process is allowing the prime minister to flash his diplomatic bona fides at a time of domestic turmoil, but normalization may still take time.
At a press conference Thursday night at Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced he had met with Sudanese military ruler Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and that the two countries are advancing the normalization of ties. Cohen said he expects Sudan to formally join the Abraham Accords by the end of the year.
Sudan initially agreed to join the Abraham Accords during the visit of US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in January 2021. Mnuchin and his Sudanese counterpart signed off on Sudan’s accession to the normalization deal with Israel after the United States removed Sudan from its list of countries that support terrorism. Sudan pledged to reduce its debt to the World Bank and received in return a commitment of significant annual US economic assistance. Sudan did not sign a parallel agreement with Israel.
