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Israeli delegation visits Sudan in sign of possible normalization

A top Israeli delegation's visit to Sudan could mean that the rapprochement process is moving quickly and the establishment of diplomatic ties is imminent.
(L to R) Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the mask-clad (COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic precaution) Sovereign Council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attend the opening session of the First National Economic Conference in the capital Khartoum on September 26, 2020. (Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP) (Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images)

A senior Israeli delegation including the acting director of the prime minister's office, Ronen Peretz, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s envoy to the Arab world, a former Shin Bet senior identified only as “Maoz,” visited Sudan yesterday. Two American officials — senior director at the State Department Miguel Correa and senior adviser at the US Embassy in Jerusalem Aryeh Lightstone — were also on board. The delegation reportedly met in Khartoum with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chair of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, and other Sudanese officials.

The delegation flew on Wednesday morning on a private jet directly from Tel Aviv to Khartoum, the second such flight known to have taken place. The first Tel Aviv-Khartoum flight happened last May, when Israel sent doctors to help treat a senior Sudanese official instrumental in rapprochement efforts between the countries.

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