South Sudan has denied holding talks with Israel over the possible resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in the East African nation. The foreign ministry said reports of such discussions were “baseless” and did not reflect official policy.
The denial followed an Associated Press report citing unnamed sources who claimed Israel had proposed transferring Palestinians to South Sudan, as part of wider discussions involving other countries including Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland. Several Israeli officials have suggested removing Palestinians from Gaza, a move human rights groups say would constitute forced expulsion and breach international law.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for what he describes as “voluntary migration” for much of Gaza’s population but made no mention of South Sudan in a recent interview. Egypt has strongly opposed any such transfer, warning of the risk of a refugee influx.
South Sudan, which is recovering from a civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people, already hosts large numbers of refugees from neighbouring conflicts. Civil society leaders have urged the government not to accept Palestinians as part of any political or diplomatic bargain.
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