WASHINGTON – President Trump announced Friday that Israel and Sudan have agreed to move toward normalization of relations, in a deal that began with economic and trade ties.
But it seemed short on establishing full diplomatic relations, as Israel plans in similar agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain that Mr. Trump helped negotiate, as he seeks to claim foreign policy achievements before the November election.
Sudan, the largest of the three Arab states, agreed on the arrangement just four days after the Trump administration removed Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism in recent months to normalize relations with Israel. The deal was sent to Congress for final approval Friday morning.
“The state of Israel and the Republic of Sudan have agreed to make peace,” Mr. Trump said at the Oval Office, where he was convening a conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese civilian and military leaders, including Prime Minister Abdallah. Hamdok and General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The deal will allow economic and trade ties between Israel and Sudan – a poor East African country that has emerged from a decade of dictatorship over the years – to focus first on agricultural products and financial aid.
There is no mention in the joint statement of the three countries describing a new deal for Sudan and Israel to open embassies in each other’s capitals, and a senior official of the American administration has confirmed that it is not yet part of the discussions.
In search of political credentials ahead of the November 3 election, Mr. Trump has promoted his efforts to expand the normalization of Arab states with Israel as a game-changing feat of diplomacy. He did not respond when asked if the agreement included a full diplomatic standard between Sudan and Israel.
The agreement was expected after the United States said Monday it would remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a necessary step for the East African nation to gain international support as its new transitional government seeks to break out of international isolation for decades.
On Friday, the Trump administration instructed Congress that it would remove Sudan from the list, raising objections to legislators before making its final decision by December. A U.S. official said no objections were expected despite congressional scrutiny over whether Sudan should be given legal immunity for any role played by U.S. courts in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Sudan has agreed to pay for the victims of the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 attack on a devastating call as part of its removal from the terror list.
Lara Jacques from Washington, Declan Walsh from Nairobi and David M. from Jerusalem. Michael Crowley contributed a report from Washington.
