October 26, 2020

In September, the JCRC published a commentary in the Star Tribune applauding the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  In our piece we noted that “this summer’s historic agreement … exemplifies how far we’ve come since Arab leaders gathered 53 years ago in Khartoum [Sudan] to pledge there would be ‘no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, [and] no negotiations with it … .’”

Today, we enthusiastically welcome the news that Israel and Sudan are on the cusp of a peace treaty and the establishment of diplomatic relations.  Suddenly, the three No(s) have become three Yes(es) when factoring in the recent agreements between Israel the UAE, Bahrain and now Sudan.

Writing in The Times of Israel, analyst Raphael Ahern rightfully observes that when the agreements are formalized, “it [will] not only be another major foreign policy achievement for [President Donald] Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor merely another encouraging step on Israel’s path to fuller integration in the region. Rather, it would mark a paradigm shift in Middle East politics. For one thing, Sudan, as opposed to Israel’s new friends in the Gulf, has a history of military conflict with Israel. And unlike the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, it has not been long known to clandestinely cooperate with Jerusalem in various areas, including security and trade.”

The establishment of relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and soon Sudan is another decisive victory for diplomacy and engagements over boycotts, divestment, and sanctions.  Moreover, its further evidence that the Palestinian Authority’s unwillingness to honestly engage Israel in peacemaking will no longer hold a veto power over the ability of Arab nations to pursue peace with the Jewish State.  We thank the Trump Administration for their leadership in achieving both of these outcomes.

In September we extolled “Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi’s work reaching across the divide offers a promising opportunity for Israelis, Palestinians and other Arabs to truly listen and appreciate each other’s narratives. Klein Halevi’s goal is not to convert Palestinians into “Arab Zionists” but to cultivate an appreciation by his neighbors of how Israelis and Jews understand themselves. In exchange, by inviting and publishing Palestinian and Arab letters in response, Klein Halevi is providing his neighbors with a platform to share their narrative.”

At the same time, we highlighted the JCRC’s partnership “with Klein Halevi through our ‘Letters Project,’ in which members of our community are reading and reflecting upon his ‘Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor: With an Extensive Epilogue of Palestinian Responses.’ This groundbreaking initiative educates our communities and equips individuals to approach this subject with confidence and a multifaceted perspective. We believe this brave engagement, not demonization and denial of Israel, is the best way to honor the descendants of Abraham who are no less indigenous to the land held sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims.”

This is even more true today than it was in September. We welcome members of the community to join us in this vitally important work.

Photo: Sudanese demonstrate in support of their people in Sudan, in south Tel Aviv, on April 13, 2019. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

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As the public affairs voice of the Jewish community, the JCRC fights antisemitism and prejudice, advocates for Israel, provides Holocaust education, promotes tolerance and social justice, and builds bridges across the Jewish and broader communities.