As Israel starves Gaza, Tel Aviv has sent aid and diplomats to South Sudan in an apparent bid to strike a Gaza displacement deal, which would see Palestinians relocated to the impoverished African country to free up Gaza for a complete takeover.
What could have been discarded as a conspiracy theory some months back, diplomatic visits, media reports and anonymous high-level sources all claim that discussions between Israel and South Sudan signal progress on controversial plan.
On 18 August, The New York Times ran a story which claims an official source has confirmed the negotiations although the plan has been allegedly taking place according to various other earlier news sources.
The story comes just days after Juba hosted a visit from Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shareen Haskel on 13 August where “fruitful bilateral dialogue” talks took place.
South Sudan Foreign Minister Semaya Kumba met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on July 29 as part of a diplomatic exchange which has not been seen before between Tel Aviv and Juba.
In response to the allegations, South Sudanese officials were forced to deny the claims.
“South Sudan firmly refutes recent media reports claiming that the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is engaged in discussion with the State of Israel regarding the resettlement of Palestinian Nationals from Gaza in South Sudan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on 13 August.
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It added that the claims are “baseless and do not reflect the official position or policy” of the South Sudanese government.
Founded in 2011, South Sudan is one of the world’s poorest countries and is experiencing renewed political instability and violence, which threatens to unravel a fragile 2018 peace agreement that ended a bloody civil war.
Crime, poverty, famine, and disease epidemics continue to plague the young nation to this day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that he would permit Palestinians from Gaza to emigrate voluntarily and that his government was talking to a number of potential host countries.
Israel reportedly floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations, including Somalia, Egypt, and even Indonesia in southeast Asia.
“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” Mr Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster i24 in a recent interview.
Starving Gaza, aiding South Sudan
Israel said Monday it will send humanitarian aid to South Sudan, as Tel Aviv maintains a choking blockade on the Gaza Strip that has left the population facing famine.
In a statement carried by Army Radio, the Foreign Ministry said Israel would provide emergency assistance to South Sudan following a cholera outbreak that has spread since September 2024.
According to the daily Israel Hayom, the aid package, overseen by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, will include basic medical supplies, water purification equipment, and food parcels.
The announcement drew attention because Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings shut since 2 March, preventing the entry of vitally needed humanitarian convoys and allowing in only limited quantities that fall far short of the enclave’s needs.
Rights groups and UN officials have repeatedly accused Israel of deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war against Gaza’s population.
Last month, as Saar hosted the South Sudanese FM in Jerusalem, he thanking him for his country’s support for Israel. During the visit, Kumba toured Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
On Monday, Amnesty International accused Israel of carrying out a “deliberate campaign of starvation” in Gaza and “systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.”
Israel has killed more than 61,900 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
