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Aug 19, 2020
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Sudanese Politician Mubarak Al-Fadil Al-Mahdi Praises UAE-Israel Relations: Sudan Should Follow Suit; An Arab-Israel Alliance Could Confront Iran, Islamic Extremism

#8227 | 05:55
Source: Alghad (UAE/Egypt)

Sudanese economist and politician Mubarak Al-Fadil Al-Mahdi, the Head of the Umma Party, said in an August 19, 2020 interview on Alghad TV (Egypt/UAE) that Sudan would benefit tremendously from establishing relations with Israel. He elaborated that these relations would give Sudan access to Israeli and Western technology, that they would help remove Sudan from the list of countries that support terrorism, and that they would help Sudan out of its current economic crisis. In addition, Al-Mahdi praised the UAE and its Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Zayed for opening "new horizons" for peace in the Middle East. He said that the combination of Arab money with Western innovation could be of great benefit to the Arabs, and that an alliance between Israel, Sudan, Egypt, and the Gulf states could confront Iran and stop the spread of Islamic extremism.

Following are excerpts:

Mubarak Al-Fadil Al-Mahdi: "Israel is an important country for America and the West. It has obtained many technological secrets from the U.S. and elsewhere. Therefore, marrying Arab money with Western- and American-inspired Israeli technological capabilities can be of great economic benefit to our Arab region. In addition, the decision and approach of the United Arab Emirates will open new horizons for a comprehensive peace in the region.

 

[…]

 

"[Muhammad bin Zayed] took a brave and courageous strategic step that may hasten the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

 

[…]

 

"This agreement [is important] not just for Sudan. It will encourage Sudan to move in that direction, but it will also change the political map in the region and will open new economic and political horizons that will bring stability to the region. It will create new military and economic alliances that will confront the regional challenges of the sectarian Iranian expansion, as well as the spread of Islamic extremism.

 

[…]

 

"The current interim government is required to end Sudan’s international isolation. This is dependent on ending the enmity with Israel, and this requires Israeli assistance and intervention with the U.S. administration, as well as employing the Jewish-Israeli lobby and influence in America in order to lift the sanctions imposed on Sudan remove Sudan from the list of terror-sponsoring countries. The interim government is undoubtedly authorized to do this. So the two things are connected. You cannot have these sanctions lifted without ending the enmity with Israel, and if you do not use the Israeli capabilities and influence in America, you will not be able to get out of the crisis forced upon Sudan. We are facing [legal] demands to pay tens of billions of dollars in lawsuits submitted by individuals in America. Sudan is incapable of paying these sums of money. So unless there is a powerful intervention from within the U.S. Congress and administration to disengage [Sudan] from these lawsuits and to remove it from the terror list, we will not be able to remove Sudan from that list. Consequently, we will not be able to get debt relief for Sudan’s debts in the Paris Club, and we will not be able to return to the international financing institutions, and to achieve the required economic stability.

 

[…]

 

"Sudan is a big agricultural country that needs the Israeli technology in order to develop its agricultural sector. In addition, Sudan has 1,000 km of land on the shores of the Red Sea, and it has an impact on security in the region. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel… The region is undergoing a conflict which is led by Iran. Iran is expanding in this region and is threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the waterways used by the oil tankers and other vessels. It threatens stability in the region in general. So the alliances in the region have changed. Sudan can play a key role in this new alliance between the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, against the security challenge of terrorism and extremism, as well as the sectarian Iranian expansion. There are some 20,000 people from Darfur who have found political asylum in Israel. This is sufficient evidence that the Sudanese have crossed the psychological barrier a long time ago. I am absolutely certain that there is overwhelming support for this in Sudan, with the exception of some pockets of small pan-Arab, Baathists, and Nasserist political parties – some leftists and Islamists who adhere to the ideologies of the past and who peddle the cause of Palestine and Jerusalem."

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