South Sudan confirmed Wednesday that Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel visited Juba for high-level talks, amid reports of a possible Palestinian relocation from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would permit Gazans to emigrate voluntarily, engaging with several potential host countries, including South Sudan. Juba described Haskel’s visit as “the highest-level engagement from an Israeli official to South Sudan thus far.” Foreign Minister Semaya Kumba said she held “fruitful bilateral dialogue” with Haskel on “evolving circumstances within the State of Israel,” without offering details. Both parties pledged to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
President Salva Kiir’s office said the talks explored opportunities in oil, gas, minerals, agriculture, and water management, aimed at boosting foreign investment. Haskel announced a new aid package of food supplies and medical equipment, calling the visit “a reflection of friendship and solidarity.” The South Sudanese government has denied claims it was negotiating with Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, calling such reports “baseless.” Yet the idea has stirred fierce debate in Juba and online.
“We don’t accept this because these are criminals they are bringing to us,” resident James Lomederi told AFP. “We also don’t have land to accommodate them.” Another resident, requesting anonymity, voiced support, saying Palestinians could help secure South Sudan’s borders and defend its territory.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has faced chronic instability since independence in 2011. This year, clashes erupted between forces loyal to Kiir and supporters of First Vice President Riek Machar. Machar’s arrest in March renewed fears of civil war, nearly seven years after a conflict between the two leaders killed about 400,000 people from 2013 to 2018.