(JUBA) – Reports have emerged claiming that Israel and South Sudan have been in talks over the possible resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza, despite South Sudan’s government publicly dismissing such claims as baseless.
According to anonymous diplomatic sources, the idea was first raised during meetings last month between Israeli officials and South Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Monday Semaya Kumba, during his visit to Israel. The reports suggest that quiet discussions on the proposal had taken place, though no official confirmation has been provided by either side.
The claims appear to contradict a statement released by South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Wednesday, which strongly denied any negotiations or arrangements related to the relocation of Palestinians to South Sudan. The ministry described earlier reports on the issue as “baseless and misleading.”
Palestinian leaders also rejected the proposal outright. Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that both the leadership and the people of Palestine “reject any plan or idea to displace any of our people to South Sudan or to any other place.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not issued any comment in response to the claims. Similarly, the United States has not taken a public position. When asked if Washington was aware of such discussions, a spokesperson for the US State Department said, “We do not speak to private diplomatic conversation.”
For South Sudan, the report adds a complex layer to its growing diplomatic engagement with Israel and the wider Middle East. Analysts have noted that the country, still working to stabilise its political and economic situation, is likely wary of being drawn into one of the most sensitive conflicts in the world.
