JUBA – The foreign ministries of South Sudan and the State of Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Bilateral Ties in Juba on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed by South Sudan’s foreign minister, Monday Semaya Kumba, and Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Sharen Haskel, who visited Juba on the same day.
This follows an Associated Press report that Tel Aviv and Juba are in talks to facilitate the expulsion of Palestinians from their ancestral land in Gaza to South Sudan, which the latter refuted.
“This significant agreement establishes a framework for enhanced dialogue and collaborative initiatives between the two ministries, alongside other pertinent governmental bodies,” Juba said in a statement.
It added that the signing of this memorandum marks a pivotal advancement in the diplomatic relations between the two countries, “heralding prospects for mutual benefit and progress for both nations and their peoples.”
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Israel has been in talks with South Sudan about the issue, which is part of an initial plan to expel residents of the enclave devastated by two years of war.
Israel has been widely condemned by the international community for its conduct of the war in Gaza that was triggered by the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, but which many rights groups now believe amounts to genocide. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.