Protests in Khartoum reject proposed Sudan-Israel peace deal

Dozens of Sudanese protested in the capital Khartoum Monday (6 February) against “normalizing” diplomatic relations with Israel, after last week’s surprise visit by the Israeli foreign minister.
The demonstrators held banners blaming Sudanese military leader Abdul Fattah al-Burhan for committing a “betrayal,” chanting “no normalization” with Israel. The protest comes only days after an official visit by the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to the country and a subsequent announcement made by Sudanese and Israeli officials Thursday (2 February) that the two countries are moving toward normalizing ties. The protestors voiced their strong opposition to any form of normalization with Israel because the government’s decision doesn’t reflect the will of the Sudanese people.
According to the organizers of the Monday protest, Khartoum should stick to its ‘No to peace, no to normalization and no to recognition of Israel” policy, also known as the ‘Three Nos’. This long-standing foreign policy guideline was established at a 1967 Arab League summit in Khartoum, soon after the 1967 Mideast War when Israel took control of Jerusalem and the West Bank. Abdulrahman Khaleel, the spokesperson of the Sudanese Foreign Affairs Ministry, downplayed the protest, saying people are free to demonstrate. Following the US-brokered Abraham Accords signed in 2020, Sudan separately announced plans to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in a deal brokered by the administration of former US President Donald Trump.