Sudan’s Cabinet votes to repeal Israel boycott law

Sudan’s Cabinet voted on Tuesday to repeal a 1958 law that forbade diplomatic and business relations with Israel, it said in a statement, the latest development in relations between the two countries.

The move needs the approval of a joint meeting of Sudan’s sovereign council and Cabinet, which serves as Sudan’s interim legislative body, to come into effect, the Cabinet said.

While Sudan’s civilian authorities have maintained that the decision to initiate relations with Israel would be left to the yet-to-be-formed transitional parliament, Tuesday’s vote is seen as a step that could pave the way for official visits and further diplomatic ties.

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Sudan last year joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in agreeing to move toward normalized relations with Israel in Abraham Accords deals brokered by the Trump administration.

Normalization with Israel is seen in Sudan as an initiative led by the military, which has welcomed visits by Israeli officials in recent months.

One of those officials, Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, welcomed Khartoum’s move.

“This is an important and necessary step toward the signing of a peace accord between the countries,” Cohen said in a statement, which did not expand on when such an event might take place.

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