A senior Sudanese diplomat said that the military coup that transpired in the African country on Monday won’t have a major effect on the normalization deal with Israel, Kan News reported on Monday.

The diplomat explained that the coup strengthened the position of the country’s military leaders, most of whom support the normalization of ties with Israel.

According to the report, the anonymous diplomat said that Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was detained during the coup, was scheduled to travel to Washington in the near future to sign the normalization deal.

That being said, the prime motivation for Sudan to normalize ties with Israel was the US promise to lift sanctions and proffer financial aid to the African country after it also agreed to pay compensation to the victims of the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

In the wake of the coup, the US State Department has already suspended $700 million in financial assistance, and spokesperson Ned Price called for the immediate release of those arrested, including Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and the restoration of the civilian authority.

“The civilian-led transitional government should be immediately restored and represents the will of the people,” Price told reporters on Monday.

When asked about the coup’s possible effect on the Abraham Accords, Price responded: “The normalization effort between Israel and Sudan is something that will have to be evaluated as we and as Israel watch very closely what happens in the coming hours and coming days. I wouldn’t want to weigh into that just yet.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)