Tel Aviv: America and Israel have prepared a plan to settle the people of Gaza in East Africa. For this, officials of both the countries have started talks with Muslim majority African countries Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had talked about settling the people of Gaza in neighboring Jordan and Egypt. Trump had said that the Gaza Strip would be developed as a real estate project by settling more than 20 lakh people of Gaza in other countries. This plan was completely rejected by Arab countries and Palestinians. In such a situation, the US has now indicated to work on a plan to take Gazans to Africa.
According to the AP report, this diplomatic initiative is being done secretly. US and Israeli officials have confirmed contact with Somalia and Somaliland. US officials have admitted to contact with Sudan. However, it is not yet clear at what level the talks took place and how much progress was made in it. According to US officials, Israel is playing a key role in the talks. According to the information, Sudan has rejected the US proposal. At the same time, Somalia and Somaliland have denied any such talks.
Why contact with three African countries
Sudan is one of the North African countries that signed the Abraham Accords in 2020. By doing so, it normalized diplomatic relations with Israel. Two Sudanese officials told AP on condition of anonymity that the Trump administration has approached the military-led government about accepting Palestinians. Both officials said that the Sudanese government has rejected the idea with immediate effect.
Somaliland separated from Somalia three decades ago but has not received international recognition. Somalia still considers Somaliland as its territory. Somaliland's new President Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi has insisted on international recognition. In such a situation, America can put pressure to settle Palestinians in exchange for recognition. However, Somaliland officials have denied any talks in this regard.
The third country of this plan is Somalia. Somalia has been a vocal supporter of Palestinians. There have also been large demonstrations in the country in support of Gazans. Somalia officials have denied any talks regarding giving shelter to the people of Gaza. On the other hand, Kenyan lawyer and researcher Sambu Chepkorir said that it is difficult to understand that Somalia will agree to this plan given the country's strong support for Palestinian self-governance.
