US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, October 23, that Sudan has agreed to make peace with Israel, making it the third Arab state to normalize ties as part of US imperialism-brokered deals since August. During a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sudan Sovereign Council president General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, Trump brought reporters into the Oval Office and announced, “The State of Israel and the Republic of Sudan have agreed to make peace.”

“We are expanding the circle of peace so rapidly with your leadership,” Netanyahu could be heard telling Trump, who responded by saying. “There are many, many more coming.” “We very much look forward… to establishing strong political and economic relations between our nations and the rest of the world,” said Hamdok. “Thank you Mr. President Trump, Thank you Mr. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mike, [Secretary of State of State Pompeo], thank you because you have stood with us from the beginning,” said the Sudanese President al-Burhan.

Sudan also publicly confirmed the deal on state television where a joint statement between Sudan, Israel and the United States was read: “Sudan and Israel agreed to normalize their relations, to end the state of aggression between them.” It was not specified when or even whether Israel and Sudan would open embassies in each other’s countries.

The Palestinian Authority said on Friday that it “condemns and rejects” the normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel. In Israel, Hadash denounced the deal for ignoring the Palestinians and the occupation of Arab territories by Israel and said that only the establishment of a Palestinian state would lead to real peace in the region.

Joint List MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash) slammed the agreement as “shameful,” and accused Trump and Netanyahu of running a criminal organization in the region. “Netanyahu and Trump are running a regional criminal cartel: if they’re not selling weapons they’re blackmailing countries into achieving normalization — as is happening now with Sudan. All with the aim of helping them [the US administration] electorally,” she said.

According to Touma-Sliman, “Such an agreement between Israel and a distant state will not advance peace or wellbeing for the peoples living in the region. It is another example of the Palestinians being thrown under the bus. Only the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state can bring about real and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Joint List MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) said, “There is a Trump-Netanyahu axis of evil” that is seeking to obtain “recognition for Israel’s occupation through bribery of benighted regimes.” “Not one drop of blood will be saved by these agreements, in fact the opposite: the cooperation of Netanyahu, Trump and their friendship with dictators will just bring bloodshed to Israel, Palestine, and the streets of the world.”

In Khartoum, the Sudanese transitional authority’s decision put the Sovereignty Council and the transitional government in a confrontation with political parties within the Forces of Freedom and Change (the ruling coalition). Opponents of normalization assert that this decision is not based on any legitimacy, as it was issued by a transitional government, not an elected one, and was not subject to a vote by parliament.

The National Consensus Alliance, one of whose most prominent parties is the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP), announced its rejection of normalization with Israel. The coalition said in a statement, “We reject any normalization with the Zionist entity, and we reject any decision on normalization made without authorization from an elected legislative council, especially in light of the complete absence of the people and their living forces.” The SCP relies on its stance of rejection of normalization with Israel on “solidarity with peoples who are subjected to oppression and persecution, and struggle for freedom and democracy.” The Sudanese Communist Party confirmed its rejection of any agreement with Israel until the Palestinians obtain a just solution to their cause.

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