Sudan and Israel's deal to normalize ties has stirred Palestinian anger but also represented a new blow to “Hamas”, which had special political and security ties with Sudan.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed that the move toward normalization with Sudan stands out because the latter was seen as a “hostile” country. It cooperated with Iran and was a channel to transfer arms to “Hamas”, in addition to cooperating with “al-Qaeda” in the nineties of the last century.
"You are free in your internal and external policies, and we do not dictate anything to anyone. However, normalization with Israel is simply a mirage,” said Khaled Meshaal, former chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, in a letter in May to the Sudanese government.
“Khartoum has a special place in the Palestinians’ memory; so, we do not expect you to irritate us with any concessions,” he added.
The senior Hamas figure highlighted the eagerness of his group to develop ties with Sudan’s Sovereign Council on the basis of non-interference in the internal affairs of the Northeast African country.
Moreover, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the agreement was “not compatible with Sudan’s record of supporting the Palestinians.”
"This does not suit Sudan's people and history. We call on the heroic people of Sudan to reject the shameful agreement," Hamas said in a statement.
For its part, the "Islamic Jihad" militant group said: "This is a dark day in the history of Sudan."
"In Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, the three principles of the Arab League were adopted in 1967: No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel. Whereas today Khartoum says - yes to peace with Israel, yes to the recognition of Israel and to normalization with Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.
