Israeli delegation in Sudan to finalize expanding the Abraham Accords

(February 2, 2023 / JNS) Sudan is reportedly ready to finalize its move to join the Abraham Accords as an Israeli delegation headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen met with the country’s ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Khartoum on Thursday, according to Hebrew and Arab media.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry would not confirm that Cohen was in Sudan, only issuing a statement that he was heading an Israeli delegation and would hold a press conference upon his return from a “historic state trip” at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday evening.

However, Reuters reported that an Israeli delegation arrived in the Sudanese capital to discuss the normalization of ties between the two countries, citing two Sudanese government sources.

Sudanese news outlets also reported that the country intends to take a “significant step” regarding relations with Israel.

Sudan was the fourth Muslim state to join the Abraham Accords, signing the agreement to normalize ties with Israel in January 2021.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco have also signed onto the accords.

Sudan first agreed to normalize relations with Israel in October 2020 on the condition of being removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Then-U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to that stipulation. The process was completed last month, Reuters reported.

In January 2021, Cohen, then-intelligence minister, visited Sudan, where he met with Sudanese leaders, including al-Burhan.

“I am confident that this visit has laid the foundations for many important collaborations, which will help both Israel and Sudan, and security stability in the region, deepen our ties with Africa and lead to further agreements with countries in the region,” said Cohen at the time.