South Sudan and Israel have held discussions over a possible plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza to the East African nation, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The proposal, as firstly reported has been swiftly condemned by Palestinian leaders as unacceptable and tantamount to forced displacement.
Newsmen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no agreement had been reached but confirmed that talks took place during South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba’s visit to Israel last month. Their account contradicts South Sudan’s foreign ministry, which earlier dismissed reports of such a plan as “baseless.”
If pursued, the proposal would involve moving Palestinians from Gaza devastated by nearly two years of war with Israel to South Sudan, a country still grappling with years of political instability, ethnic conflict, and humanitarian crises.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians should voluntarily leave Gaza, insisting Israel will maintain military control over the territory. He has acknowledged discussions with “a few countries” to find destinations for those willing to relocate but has not named them.
Palestinian leaders, however, see any relocation effort as an attempt to repeat the 1948 “Nakba,” when hundreds of thousands were displaced during the Arab-Israeli war. “The Palestinian leadership and people reject any plan or idea to displace any of our people to South Sudan or to any other place,” said Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. His remarks were echoed by the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas has not commented on the reported talks. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who visited South Sudan’s capital Juba this week, denied that her meetings focused on relocation. She said on discussions centred on “foreign policy, multilateral organisations, the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, and the war” not the movement of Palestinians.
The South Sudanese foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment on Friday. Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s foreign ministry also declined to respond to questions about the reported negotiations.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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