Washington seeks Israeli help to end military rule in Sudan. (Sister Linda visits Israel)
Posted: 18 Nov 2021, 14:10
Washington seeks Israeli help to end military rule in Sudan
Sources in Tel Aviv reported that the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, who is visiting Israel, asked Defense Minister Benny Gantz to use the good relations with the Presidency Council in Sudan and to intervene in the worsening crisis there.
These sources said that the ambassador confirmed that she is requesting this assistance on behalf of the United States of America, in the service of the Sudanese people and for democratic ideals and values. Because Israel maintains good relations with Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his comrades in the military leadership, Washington asks it to seek with the generals "to end the coup crisis and push for the re-formation of the government in partnership with civilians." Greenfield hinted that Washington is considering cutting aid to Khartoum and reversing the steps of opening towards it if the current situation continues.
According to the official Israeli radio, this was not the first American request from Israel for help in Sudan. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also conveyed a similar message in his talks with Israeli officials in the past weeks. The radio confirmed that "the United States views Israel as having the ability to influence what happens in Sudan, knowing that a Mossad team visited Khartoum before and after the military coup, and held talks with the leader of the military coup, Major General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan." She added that Washington also wants Israel to put pressure on Al-Burhan and push him to reverse the coup.
The radio did not say how the Israeli response to the American request was, but Israeli sources confirmed that Gantz and the rest of the Israeli political and military leaders deal with the issue of Sudan with great sensitivity. It does not publish political positions and does not give an opinion on what is happening in Sudan, although it tries to follow the issue closely.
Israel had tried to advance its normalization relations with Sudan during the past months, and not only with the military. Political circles in them said that Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, who was opposing this progress and calling for it to be slowed at the time, was convinced after meeting with Israeli officials and agreed to personally participate in the signing ceremony of the normalization agreement, which was scheduled to take place this month in Washington.
It is worth noting that the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has been to Israel since last Monday, on a visit that is considered a traditional one by every US representative in this position for decades. But Greenfield made sure that the visit also includes the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, stressing the necessity of settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.
She held meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog, and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and spent a whole day with IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, and a number of generals, and they took her to a tour of the border for the purpose of “informing the reality of the challenges facing Israel.” It is imposed on it by the enemies of Israel,” Kachavi said.
It was lowered into a huge tunnel that the Lebanese Hezbollah had dug under the border and reached Israeli territory in the Galilee. "We give you a better picture of the unique challenges we face here, and of the terrorist organizations backed by Iran and whose elements are spread along our borders," Kohavi told her.
Bennett told her, "There is a huge difference between the reality in Israel and what is being said about us in the corridors of the United Nations. And I thank you for being the voice of integrity and reason in an institution that we can both say objectively is biased against Israel.”
For his part, Israeli President Herzog welcomed the ambassador and thanked her for her "important support for Israel." "We have a lot of common work to be done in multilateral organizations for the peace, security and prosperity of our region," he said.
As for the Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, he considered the US permanent representative to the United Nations, “a true friend of Israel, who is fighting shoulder to shoulder with us in one of the most complex arenas in the international community.” He said, "Friendship with Washington is not only based on common interests, but also on common values and principles."
aawsat.com
