Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Israel in talks to resettle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan, sources say. South Sudan denies such talks

"MANY world leaders are horrified at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.


South Sudan's Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba visited Israel last month and met with Netanyahu, according to the foreign ministry in Juba.


Netanyahu said this month he intends to extend military control in Gaza, and this week repeated suggestions that Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily.


South Sudan is not in talks with Israel to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza, South Sudan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.


In March, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland also denied receiving any proposal from the United States or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, with Mogadishu saying it categorically rejected any such move.


The plan, if carried further, would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation [South Sudan] in the heart of Africa riven by years of political and ethnically-driven violence."


Read full story below in three reports by respected journalists.


[NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: This plan must not be accepted by S.Sudan. At least 25M displaced Sudanese in and around Sudan and S.Sudan struggle to stay alive. S.Sudan, one of the most dangerous countries in the world, does not have the infrastructure and security to support and protect its people] 

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Here is a report by Reuters.
Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell at the Israel-Gaza border, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Ammu Kannampilly; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Diane Craft
Dated Saturday, 16 August 2025 - full copy:

Israel in talks to resettle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan, sources say

Palestinians carry aid supplies they collected from trucks that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip August 10, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo 

NAIROBI, Aug 15 (Reuters) - South Sudan and Israel are discussing a deal to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the troubled African nation, three sources told Reuters - a plan quickly dismissed as unacceptable by Palestinian leaders.


The sources, who have knowledge of the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity, said no agreement had been reached but talks between South Sudan and Israel were ongoing.


The plan, if carried further, would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation [South Sudan] in the heart of Africa riven by years of political and ethnically-driven violence.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the information from the three sources.


A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said, "we do not speak to private diplomatic conversations," when asked about the plan and if the United States supported the idea.


Netanyahu said this month he intends to extend military control in Gaza, and this week repeated suggestions that Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily.


Arab and world leaders have rejected the idea of moving Gaza's population to any country. Palestinians say that would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.


The three sources said the prospect of resettling Palestinians in South Sudan was raised during meetings between Israeli officials and South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba when he visited the country last month.


Their account appeared to contradict South Sudan's foreign ministry which on Wednesday dismissed earlier reports on the plan as "baseless".


The ministry was not immediately available to respond to the sources' assertions on Friday.


News of the discussions was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, citing six people with knowledge of the matter.


Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Palestinian leadership and people "reject any plan or idea to displace any of our people to South Sudan or to any other place".


His statement echoed a statement from the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday. Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who visited the South Sudanese capital Juba this week, told reporters that those discussions had not focussed on relocation.


"This is not what the discussions were about," she said when asked if any such plan had been discussed.


"The discussions were about foreign policy, about multilateral organisations, about the humanitarian crisis, the real humanitarian crisis happening in South Sudan, and about the war," she said, referring to her talks with Juba officials.


Netanyahu, who met Kumba last month, has said Israel is in touch with a few countries to find a destination for Palestinians who want to leave Gaza. He has consistently declined to provide further details.


View original: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-talks-resettle-gaza-palestinians-south-sudan-sources-say-2025-08-15/


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Here is a report by Reuters.
Reporting by George Obulutsa; 
Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Christina Fincher
Dated Wednesday, 13 August 2025 - full copy:

South Sudan says no talks with Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza


Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp on a beach amid summer heat in Gaza City, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo


NAIROBI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - South Sudan is not in talks with Israel to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza, South Sudan's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.


On Tuesday, the Associated Press, citing six people with knowledge of the matter, reported that Israel was holding discussions with Juba to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in the East African nation.


"These claims are baseless and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan," South Sudan's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.


Israel's military has pounded Gaza City in recent days prior to its planned takeover of the shattered enclave which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday reiterated a view - also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza.


Many world leaders are horrified at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948.


In March, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland also denied receiving any proposal from the United States or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, with Mogadishu saying it categorically rejected any such move.


South Sudan's Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba visited Israel last month and met with Netanyahu, according to the foreign ministry in Juba.


Last month South Sudan's government confirmed that eight migrants deported to the African nation by the Trump administration were currently in the care of the authorities in Juba after they lost a legal battle to halt their transfer.


Since achieving independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has spent nearly half its life at war and is currently in the grip of a political crisis, after President Salva Kiir's government ordered the arrest of Vice President Riek Machar in March.


View original: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/south-sudan-says-no-talks-with-israel-resettle-palestinians-gaza-2025-08-13/

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Related story


From the Associated Press (AP)

By Sam Mednick

Associated Press reporters Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. and Samy Magdy in Cairo, Egypt, contributed

Dated Tuesday, 12 August 2025 

Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan


Israel is in talks with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country.


Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)


Read full story: https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-gaza-relocation-south-sudan-15191c194cb6f972bc627a382d830edd


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Sunday, August 04, 2024

Iran's Hezbollah bombs Israel. US UK Sweden France Canada Jordan urge nationals to leave Lebanon

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: In 2017, the US established an official, permanent military base in Israel: an air defense base in the heart of the Negev desert. US Air Force soldiers work at the base, located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base, west of the towns of Dimona and Yerucham. More here from The Times of Israel including a video of the opening ceremony. Note that since a US flag flies over the base, the Americans consider any attack on Israel to be an attack on the US.


After this news of Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel exchanging fire in the early hours of today, it seems the right time to post the following videos showing whistleblower, Gen. Wesley Clark, Retired 4-star US Army general, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the Kosovo War, saying in a 2007 interview that America’s objective is to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iran. Other videos of the interview are online at YouTube. Here are two, incase one is deleted.


Interestingly, the events covered in this post are prophesied in the Holy Bible (King James Version). Anglican Christians believe these to be signs of the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ who will appear in Jerusalem. True Christians are not afraid of death. Life is camping, Heaven is for eternity. The Word of God assures us that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will have everlasting life (John 3:166:471 John 5:13)


Source: https://youtu.be/Eo6u9DpASp8

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VIDEO with Transcript. Gen. Wesley Clark. Retired 4-star US Army general. Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the Kosovo War. Here general Wesley Clark describes how he was told on 20th Sept. 2001 that the administration had decided to attack Iraq followed by Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch

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Report from BBC News online

By Tom Bennett, BBC News reporting from London

Hugo Bachega BBC News Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beirut

Dated Saturday, 03 August 2024. Updated 04 August. Full copy:


Countries urge nationals to leave Lebanon as Mid-East war fears grow

IMAGE SOURCE, EPA Image caption, 
Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire in the early hours of Sunday

Several countries have urged their nationals to leave Lebanon, as fears grow of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against Israel, which it blames for the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Israel has not commented. 

His assassination came hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Western officials fear that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political movement based in Lebanon, could play a key role in any such retaliation, which in turn could spark a serious Israeli response.

Diplomatic efforts by the US and other Western countries continue to try to de-escalate tensions across the region.

A growing number of flights have been cancelled or suspended at the country’s only commercial airport in Beirut.

The US, the UK, Australia, Sweden, France, Italy, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are among the countries to have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.

Fears of an escalation of hostilities that could engulf Lebanon are at their highest since Hezbollah started its attacks on Israel, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, in support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Most of the violence has been contained to border areas, with both sides indicating not being interested in a wider conflict. 

Hezbollah, however, has vowed to respond to Shukr’s assassination, which happened in Dahiyeh, the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

On Sunday, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at the town of Beit Hillel in northern Israel at around 00:25 local time (21:25 GMT Saturday).

Footage posted on social media showed Israel's Iron Dome air defence system intercepting the rockets. There have been no reports of casualties.

Israel’s air force responded by striking targets in southern Lebanon.

In a separate development on Sunday morning, two people were killed in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Holon. The attacker was later “neutralised”, police said.

Also on Sunday, officials from the Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza said an Israeli air strike had hit a tent inside a hospital, killing at least five people. The officials said 19 Palestinians had been killed on Sunday.

In a statement on Saturday, the US embassy in Beirut said those who chose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”.

The Pentagon has said it is deploying additional warships and fighter jets to the region to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies, a strategy similar to the one adopted in April, when Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation to an attack on its diplomatic compound in Syria. 

It blamed Israel for that strike.

Many fear Iran’s retaliation on this occasion could take a similar form.

The UK says it is sending extra military personnel, consular staff and border force officials to help with any evacuations.

It has urged UK citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are running.

Two British military ships are already in the region and the Royal Air Force has put transport helicopters on standby.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.

In a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Friday, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani said Iran would "undoubtedly use its inherent and legitimate right" to "punish" Israel.

On Friday, an announcer on Iran's state TV warned "the world would witness extraordinary scenes".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis that "challenging days lie ahead... We have heard threats from all sides. We are prepared for any scenario".

Tensions between Israel and Iran initially escalated with the killing of 12 children and teenagers in a strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel accused Hezbollah and vowed “severe” retaliation, though Hezbollah denied it was involved.

Days later, Shukr, who was a close adviser to the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a targeted Israeli air strike in Beirut. Four others, including two children, were also killed.

Hours after that, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, Hamas's main backer. He was visiting to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said Israel will suffer a “harsh punishment” for the killing.

Haniyeh's assassination dealt a blow to the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, the main hope to defuse tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The war began in October when Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages. 

The attack triggered a massive Israeli military response, which has killed at least 39,480 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Media caption [VideoWatch: Israel intercepts rockets fired from Lebanon

Bowen: Israel's killing of Haniyeh deals hammer blow to ceasefire prospects

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp4wgqypwrxo
Published 31 July 2024


Bachega: Hezbollah leader says conflict with Israel in 'new phase' after killings

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn05v009n2ko

Published 1 August 2024

  • Publishe31 July 2024

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80xxeqel5po

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POSTSCRIPT from Sudan Watch Editor:

Verse of the Day for Sunday, August 4, 2024: 

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)

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