Hemedti: We want full relations with Israel, not normalization

The Vice President of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, “Hemedti”, said on Friday that his country wants to establish relations with Israel, not normalization, in order to benefit from its advanced capabilities.

Hemedti called to know the views of the Sudanese street about establishing relations with Israel. He said: “The Sudanese people decide after a public opinion poll. This is democracy, and those who refuse to establish relations with Israel, who authorized them to do so?”

Hemedti said, in a televised interview from his residence in Juba, “Israel is developed, and we want to see where we can benefit.” He added, “The whole world is working with Israel, and the great countries are working with Israel in terms of technology and in terms of agriculture.”

And Hemedti added, “We need Israel, frankly, and are not afraid of demise. We want relations and not normalization, and we are walking along this path.”

He continued: “Normalization with Israel, people walked in, and we, Israel, do not have borders with it, and it is true that the Palestinian issue is important, and the Palestinian people are supposed to stand with them in their issues, but we are no closer now than people working with Israel relations.”

Hemedti explained: “We are no closer to them. Israel has borders with Egypt, and we do not have borders. It has borders with Jordan, and Jordan has 3 million Palestinians, and it can be more.”

He continued by saying, “Like it or not, the issue of removing Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism is linked with Israel, and this is what has become clear to us, and we hope that it is not linked to relations with Israel.”

The head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council concluded: “We do not talk about normalization, but relations, and we benefit from them, and I wish with mutual consent and consultation with all people, and people see the interest of the Sudanese. We are tired of being besieged for many years and all the conditions we have fulfilled to get out of the list of states sponsoring terrorism.”

Estimates also indicate that Sudan is demanding more aid than the Americans offered in exchange for recognition of Israel.

Last Wednesday, the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Sudan issued a fatwa prohibiting normalization with Israel in all fields.