South Sudan and Israel are discussing an agreement to restore the Palestinians from the Gaza strip in the troubled African nation, three sources said to Reuters, a quick plan discarded as unacceptable by the Palestinian leaders.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that no agreement were reached, but conversations were in progress between the South Sudan and Israel.
If taken later, the plan provides for the transfer of people from a flirtation destroyed for almost two years of war with Israel to an African nation torn from years of political and ethnic violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month that he intends to extend military control to Gaza. This week repeated suggestions that the Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily.
Arab leaders and other regions of the world have rejected the idea of transferring the population of Gaza to any country. The Palestinians claim that this would be like another “Nakba” (catastrophe), when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced to go out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.
The three sources said that the prospect of restoring the Palestinians in South Sudan was raised during the meetings between the Israeli authorities and the Foreign Minister of South Sudan Monday Semaya Kumba when he visited the country last month.
On Wednesday, the Southern Sudan Foreign Ministry excluded the previous reports of the plan as “without foundation”.
This Friday, the Ministry did not immediately respond to the declarations of the sources.
Tuesday the discussions were reported by the Associated Press, citing six people with knowledge of the topic.
Wastes Abu Yousef, a member of the EXECUTIVE committee of the organization for the liberation of Palestine, said that the leadership and Palestinians “reject any plan or idea of moving any of our people in South Sudan or elsewhere”, following the previous manifestation of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday.
Hamas, who fights Israel in Gaza, did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
The Deputy Israeli Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel, who visited the capital of South Sudan, Juba, this week said that the conversations with the country were not on this topic.
“The conversations concerned foreign policy, multilateral organizations, the humanitarian crisis, the true humanitarian crisis that is happening in South Sudan and on the war,” he said.
Netanyahu, who met Kumba last month, said that Israel is in contact with some countries to find a destination for the Palestinians who want to leave Gaza but have never provided further details.
The office of Netanyahu and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the information provided by the three sources on Friday.
Source: Terra
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