Supports Israeli senators to pass Sudan immunity bill to protect naturalization agreement

At the request of the Sudanese government, Israel began forcing senators and members of Congress to approve a bill to grant Sudan. Immunity from future cases In the United States by victims of terrorism, senior Israeli officials told me.

Why this is important: Immunity was part of the bill Tripartite agreement Includes agreement to begin the process of normalizing relations between the United States, Sudan and Israel. Israeli officials are concerned that the normalization process will be halted if the deal is released. The deadline for passing the bill is December 14th.

Messaging: Israeli diplomats in Washington have recently begun urging senators and members of Congress that if the immunity bill is not passed, it could have a negative impact not only on the normalization process with Sudan, but also on future normalization agreements with other Arab countries. , Israeli officials told me.

What they say: “Since Sudan decided to normalize relations with Israel, Israel has been interested in resolving Sudan’s issues in Washington. This will encourage other countries to normalize relations with Israel,” a senior Israeli official told me.

Game level: The announcement of the US-Israel-Sudan agreement caused a stir among the families of 9/11 victims, who demanded retention of the right to sue the Sudanese government for allegedly aiding al-Qaeda two decades ago.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) and Senate Foreign Ranker Bob Menendez (DNJ) both tried to block the bill under pressure from their constituencies.
• Two weeks ago, an Israeli delegation visited Khartoum, Sudan. The Israelis brought in Ary Lightstone, an adviser to the US ambassador to Israel, who was a driving force behind the deal with Sudan, US sources told me.
• During the visit, Sudanese Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan raised the issue of the immunization bill with the Israelis and Lightstone and called on the Israeli government and the Trump administration to work with Congress to resolve the issue. Me.
• The New York Times Announced Burhan had a similar conversation with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week. According to the Times, Burhan warned that Sudan would suspend the normalization process with Israel if the bill was not passed. One of Burhan’s representatives told the Sudanese media the same thing.

What’s next: Israeli officials have received no threats from the Sudanese government, but are seeking help in Washington.

• Israeli officials said they had received assurances from the Trump administration, senior senators and members of Congress.