JUBA: South Sudan on Wednesday said that Israel’s deputy foreign minister had visited for talks, after reports of plans to relocate Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he would permit Palestinians from Gaza to emigrate voluntarily and that his government was talking to a number of potential host countries.
South Sudan, which is said to be one of the host countries, announced that Sharren Haskel had visited, in what it called “the highest-level engagement from an Israeli official to South Sudan thus far.”
According to a statement, Foreign Minister Semaya Kumba held “a fruitful bilateral dialogue” with Haskel that touched on “the evolving circumstances within the State of Israel,” without elaborating.
“Both parties expressed a resolute commitment to advancing stronger bilateral and multilateral cooperation moving forward,” it added.
A previous statement from the government in Juba refuted media reports that it was in discussion with Israel about relocating Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan, calling the claims “baseless.”
The potential arrival of Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan has sparked intense controversy both on social media and on the streets of the capital.
“We don’t accept this because these are criminals they are bringing to us. Also we don’t have land that can accommodate the Palestinians from Gaza to South Sudan,” Juba resident James Lomederi told AFP.
Another local, who asked not to be identified, said: “We will welcome them with open arms. Our borders need heavy deployment of troops, and they will help us fight anyone who wants to annex our land into their territory.”
Impoverished South Sudan has been plagued by insecurity and instability since its independence in 2011.
This year, the country saw months of clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing First Vice President Riek Machar.
The arrest of Machar in March fueled fears of a return to civil war, nearly seven years after the end of bloody fighting between supporters of the two men that led to around 400,000 deaths between 2013 and 2018.
