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Sudanese journalist Awadallah Naway said in an August 19, 2020 interview on Russia Today TV that since Sudan is an African country and not an Arab country and that since countries should act according to their own interests, there is no reason that Sudan should not establish relations with Israel. He pointed out that Sudan stands to gain from this from an agricultural and technological perspective, and he compared such relations to the interactions that the Prophet Muhammad had with the Jews and to the Oslo Accords.
Awadallah Naway: "Sudan is not an Arab country, as some claim. It is an African country, with a joint Arab-African identity. So what prevents Sudan from establishing relations with Israel or any other country? This way, Sudan will be able to benefit from the agricultural technology and... Is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict a religious issue or an ideological one? I believe that the definition of this conflict is wrong. This is not a religious issue. Even the Prophet Muhammad had dealings with the Jews. He would buy from the Jews and sell to them. So what is there to prevent Sudan, in the third millennium... Do we want to entrench ourselves in the 'Three No's Summit' [Khartoum, 1967]. That summit came at the request of the Arab axis that wants to 'tame' Sudan and make it conform to a monolithic point of view.
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"I can guarantee that the majority of Sudanese are looking forward to the building of relations that will serve their interests. How is a foreign policy built? According to the interests of countries and not in keeping with the political ideologies or whims of outdated political parties.
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"There was a revolution, and the revolution determined certain principles. One of the important principles of the revolution is the establishment of relations with all countries. Israel was not excluded – not even in the [2019] Constitutional Charter. Some people claimed that this decision was dangerous. In what way is it dangerous?
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"Let me ask you, before we talk about an agreement: Is there a war between Sudan and Israel? Does Sudan share a border with Israel? The Palestinian cause is Palestinian, and we need to distinguish it from the Sudanese cause. Just like there is a Palestinian cause, there is a Sudanese cause that seeks resolution. The Sudanese cause is about benefiting from the great agricultural resources, and about signing of agreements. This should not be categorized as the signing of a peace deal. It is true that Sudan participated in the wars of the past – in 1973 and other wars. But then there were the Oslo Accords, and the Arabs who were waging war against Israel signed an agreement with it."
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