South Sudan and Israel are holding talks on a possible deal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the African nation, according to three sources familiar with the matter. However, Palestinian leaders have strongly rejected the idea, calling it unacceptable.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discussions are still ongoing and no final agreement has been reached. The proposal would see people from Gaza, devastated by nearly two years of war with Israel, relocated to South Sudan, a country itself struggling with political instability and ethnic violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s foreign ministry have not commented on the matter. A US State Department spokesperson also declined to speak on private diplomatic talks.
Netanyahu has repeatedly suggested that Palestinians should voluntarily leave Gaza, while saying Israel plans to extend military control in the territory. Arab nations and world leaders have already rejected any proposal to transfer Gaza’s population abroad, warning it would resemble the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the Arab-Israeli war.
According to the sources, the idea of resettlement in South Sudan was raised during meetings between Israeli officials and South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba during his visit to Israel last month. However, South Sudan’s foreign ministry earlier dismissed reports about the plan as “baseless.”
Wasel Abu Youssef, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Palestinians completely reject any attempts to relocate their people. His statement was echoed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office. Hamas has not yet commented on the reports.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who visited South Sudan’s capital Juba this week, denied that relocation was on the agenda. She said talks focused instead on foreign policy, humanitarian issues in South Sudan, and the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu has said Israel is in touch with several countries to find possible destinations for Palestinians who wish to leave Gaza, though he has not revealed which nations are involved.
