The South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has officially denied widespread media reports that a recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Israel includes a plan to resettle Palestinians in the country.
During a weekly media briefing, on Thursday, Philip Jada Natana, the Director General for Bilateral Relations, addressed the speculation head-on.
“I know that most of the social media has been flooded with stories of the settlement of Palestinians here in South Sudan,” he said.
Natana assured journalists that “there has never been any question that has been discussed” regarding the issue. He called on the public to use common sense, citing the historical relationship between Palestinians and South Sudan, particularly in the context of South Sudan’s own quest for self-determination.
He suggested that Palestinians would not agree to be moved to South Sudan of all places.
The official’s response to the heated matter serves as a direct clarification to the ongoing online narratives.
He emphasized that the MOU with Israel focuses on mutual cooperation and capacity building, not population resettlement.
Last month Reuter reported that South Sudan and Israel discussed 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.
According to reuters 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.
However 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.
