Palestinians Reject Reported Plan to Move to South Sudan
South Sudan and Israel have been holding talks over a potential plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the African nation, according to three sources who spoke to Reuters. However, Palestinian leaders have rejected the idea, describing it as unacceptable.
The sources, who requested anonymity, said no final agreement had been reached but discussions between Israeli and South Sudanese officials had taken place. They explained that the proposal would involve moving people from Gaza, devastated by almost two years of conflict with Israel, to South Sudan, a country struggling with its own history of civil war and ethnic violence.
Reports suggested the issue was raised during the visit of South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba to Israel last month. But South Sudan’s foreign ministry has already dismissed similar claims as “baseless” and was unavailable for further comment.
Currency Converter
Read More: Landslide and Flood Threat as Rains Continue Across Pakistan
The Israeli government has not officially responded to questions about the matter, while the US State Department declined to confirm whether Washington supported the idea, saying it would not comment on private diplomatic conversations.
Palestinian leaders strongly condemned any suggestion of resettlement. Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said such plans amounted to forced displacement, which Palestinians equated with the “Nakba” of 1948, when hundreds of thousands fled during the first Arab-Israeli war. President Mahmoud Abbas’s office repeated the same stance.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who was in Juba this week, insisted her discussions with South Sudanese officials did not include relocation of Palestinians. She said talks focused on regional issues, humanitarian concerns in South Sudan, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously indicated Israel is speaking with several countries about possible destinations for Palestinians seeking to leave Gaza but has not shared specific details.
