Israel Reportedly Discusses Relocation Of Gazans With South Sudan

Assistance deployed from the air to Gaza/DOK UNICEF

JAKARTA - South Sudan and Israel are discussing a deal to relocate Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza in the turbulent African nation.

This plan was rejected because it was deemed unacceptable to Palestinian leaders.

Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters there was no agreement yet, but negotiations between South Sudan and Israel are still ongoing.

The plan, if implemented, will reloocate people moving from areas destroyed by the war with Israel for nearly two years to a country at the heart of Africa that has been divided by political and ethnic violence for years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said he intended to expand military control in Gaza. This week, Netanyahu reiterated suggestions for Palestinians to leave the region voluntarily.

Arab leaders and the world reject the idea of moving Gazans to any country. The Palestinians said it would be like another "Naughty" when hundreds of thousands of people fled or were forced out during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

The three sources said prospects for the re-residential settlement of Palestinians in South Sudan had been discussed at a meeting between Israeli officials and South Sudan's Foreign Minister, Monday Semaya Kumba, when she visited the country last month.

Their statement appears to be in conflict with the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry which on Wednesday dismissed previous reports of the plan as "baseless".

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

Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, said Palestinian leaders and people "reject any plans or ideas to move our citizens to South Sudan or elsewhere".

His statement repeated a statement from the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday.

Hamas, which is battling 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 Reuters the discussions were not focused on relocation.

"This is not what was discussed," he said when asked if such a plan had ever been discussed.

"The discussions discussed foreign policy, multilateral organizations, humanitarian crises, humanitarian crises that actually occurred in South Sudan, and war," he said, referring to his talks with Juba officials.

Netanyahu, who met Kumba last month, said Israel was communicating with several countries to find a destination for Palestinians wishing to leave Gaza.

He consistently refused to provide further details.

The Office of Netanyahu and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on information provided by the three sources on Friday, August 15.