General Abdel Fattah al Burhan is reportedly seeking to finalize normalization with Israel to secure political and military backing. Israeli media said Burhan’s envoy travelled to Israel in April, offering concessions to speed the deal.
The envoy allegedly explained the Burhan’s team approached Iran only after Israel refused support. Burhan-led Port Sudan SAF junta publicly deny the reports. Burhan’s plan rests on a gamble: that Israel will overlook Sudan’s war and strike an alliance with the army’s de facto rulers, according to analysis in the Atlantic Council.
For him, Israeli recognition could bring international legitimacy and military aid in a conflict dragging Sudan into collapse. But the risks are high. Normalization without peace and civilian authority could leave Israel entangled with an illegitimate, authoritarian regime. Analysts warn this would be a grave miscalculation.
Sudan once stood on the brink of reconciliation with Israel. In 2020, Burhan joined a call with then-US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to announce normalization. The following year, Sudan signed the Abraham Accords and repealed its Israel boycott law.
That trajectory ended with Burhan’s October 2021 coup, which derailed democratic transition and cancelled plans for a Washington signing ceremony. The civil war that erupted in April 2023 between the Burhan’s army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces buried hopes of progress.
Burhan’s outreach to Israel is undermined by his alliances. Burhan now works with Islamist brigades and has deepened military ties with Iran, including tunnel networks and advanced weapons. These moves contradict Israel’s security interests and fuel regional instability. If Israel accepts Burhan’s offer, it risks empowering a regime hostile to democracy, bound to extremists, and incapable of securing lasting peace.
