After months of deliberations and under US mediation, Sudan is set to announce plans to normalize its ties with Israel, officials privy to the move told Israel Hayom Thursday.
Khartoum is likely to make an official announcement on the issue this coming weekend, the official noted, likely after US President Donald Trump and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the Sovereignty Council of Sudan, discuss the projected timeline.
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As reported in Haaretz daily, a rare direct flight departed from Israel to Khartoum on Wednesday. Israel Hayom learned that it was carrying a high-level Israeli delegation of Prime Minister's Office and Mossad intelligence agency officials, who then met with their Sudanese counterparts in the transitional government.
The delegations were able to then reach a bilateral recognition agreement between Israel and Sudan.
On Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to step away from a meeting of the so-called coronavirus cabinet, citing "urgent national needs." It is believed he was called to a briefing on the matter of the official ties with Sudan.
The expected Sudanese announcement of recognizing the Jewish state will join the historic Abraham Accords signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Sept. 15.
Khartoum's move has been linked to the recent US decision to remove Sudan from list of state sponsors of terrorism.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he hoped Sudan will soon recognize Israel.
"We continue to work to make the case to every country to recognize Israel," Pompeo told reporters. "We are working diligently with them to make the case for why that's in the Sudanese government's best interest to make that sovereign decision. We hope that they'll do that, and we hope that they'll do that quickly."
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said recently that normalizing ties with Israel was a "complicated" issue needing wide debate within society.
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