South Sudan and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral cooperation on Wednesday, as the South Sudanese government dismissed reports of discussions to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the African nation.
The agreement, signed in Juba by South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, establishes a framework for “diplomatic consultations” and “joint initiatives” between the two countries.
“The signing of this memorandum marks a pivotal step in strengthening relations between South Sudan and Israel,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
But key questions remain over the deal’s specifics, its timing, and whether it could pave the way for future migration agreements.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel announced on X that she has arrived in South Sudan, “the world’s youngest country,” as part of Israel’s first official delegation to the African nation.
In her post, Haskel says she met with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba and other officials, signed a diplomatic memorandum of understanding, and visited an Israeli trauma center that she says “saved dozens of children’s lives.”
The visit comes amid reports claiming Israel has discussed resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in South Sudan.
Juba denies resettlement plans
South Sudan is not in talks with Israel to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza, South Sudan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Associated Press, citing six people with knowledge of the matter, reported that Israel was holding discussions with Juba to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the East African nation.
“These claims are baseless and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan,” South Sudan’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
Israel’s military has pounded Gaza City in recent days prior to its planned takeover of the shattered enclave which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday reiterated a view – also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump – that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza.
Many world leaders are horrified at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another “Nakba” (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.
In March, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland also denied receiving any proposal from the United States or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, with Mogadishu saying it categorically rejected any such move.
South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba visited Israel last month and met with Netanyahu, according to the foreign ministry in Juba.
Last month South Sudan’s government confirmed that eight migrants deported to the African nation by the Trump administration were currently in the care of the authorities in Juba after they lost a legal battle to halt their transfer.
Since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has spent nearly half its life at war and is currently in the grip of a political crisis, after President Salva Kiir’s government ordered the arrest of Vice President Riek Machar in March.