Anger In Sudan Over Minister’s Support For Normalization With Israel

TEL AVIV — A senior Sundanese minister has stirred up a storm of anger in the country after he expressed support for normalization of ties with Israel.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments in Sudan, Mubarak al-Fadil al-Mahdi, said in a television interview that he supports normalization between his country and Israel. According to Mahdi, this normalization would help his country, and the constant focus on the Palestinian issue has held back the development of the Arab world. “Even Hamas negotiates with Israel,” he said.

The comments from the Sudanese minister angered many in the country, which is known for its support of the Palestinians. Until recently, Sudan has been considered an enthusiastic supporter of Hamas and a major smuggling route for weapons from Sinai to Gaza goes through the African country.

The Israeli Air Force has attacked weapons shipments traversing Sudan on their way to Hamas on a number of occasions.

In response to the minister’s comments, Sudan’s council of clerics expressed its opposition to normalization. The head of the council, Muhammad Saleh, told Sudan’s official news agency, “This is an inappropriate comment since any support for normalization with the State of Israel is contrary to the principles of the nation.”

According to Saleh, the members of the council unanimously demanded that the minister recant his call “for normalization with the Zionist entity. The motives for not recognizing Israel are still strong and exist. Israel still does not agree to peace, continues to harm the Palestinian territories and continues to curtail the steps of the Muslims at the al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Many in Sudan were quick to condemn the minister’s comments. Some among the Palestinians also condemned them and the Hamas movement even released a special statement, expressing “its disappointment and dismay at the comments of the Sudanese minister of investments and at his incitement against the Palestinian people, the Hamas movement and the heroic resistance of the Palestinians.”

According to Hamas, “Such declarations are foreign to the values of the Sudanese people who sympathize with the Palestinian people and support their resistance and are alien to the history of the al-Mahdi family. These statements stem from ignorance and a misunderstanding of the Palestinian cause.”