South Sudan denies Israel talks over forced transfer of Palestinians

Human rights groups have warned that expelling the population from Gaza would violate international law.

South Sudan has denied holding discussions with Israel about the potential “resettlement” of Palestinians from Gaza in the East African country.

The Associated Press news agency earlier reported that the two countries were engaged in talks over an Israeli proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinian residents from Gaza to South Sudan, citing six people familiar with the matter.

South Sudan “firmly refutes recent media reports claiming that the Government of the Republic of South Sudan is engaged in discussion with the State of Israel regarding the resettlement of Palestinian Nationals from Gaza in South Sudan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

It said the claims are “baseless and do not reflect the official position or policy” of the South Sudanese government.

Several Israeli officials have proposed the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – a move human rights groups warn would amount to forcible expulsion, ethnic cleansing, and would violate international law.

Critics of the transfer plan fear Palestinians would never be allowed to return to Gaza and that mass departure could pave the way for Israel to annex the enclave and re-establish Israeli settlements there, as called for by far-right ministers in the Israeli government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said he wants to advance what he calls “voluntary migration” for much of Gaza’s population, a policy he has linked to previous statements of United States President Donald Trump.

“I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday in an interview with i24, an Israeli TV station. He did not make reference to South Sudan.

South Sudan has struggled to recover from a civil war that broke out shortly after independence in 2011, killing nearly 400,000 people and leaving parts of the country facing famine. It already hosts a large refugee population from conflicts in neighbouring countries.

South Sudanese civil society leader Edmund Yakani told the AP that the country “should not become a dumping ground for people … and it should not accept to take people as negotiating chips to improve relations”.

Joe Szlavik, founder of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks.

According to Szlavik, the country wants the Trump administration to lift a travel ban and remove sanctions on some South Sudanese elites.

Peter Martell, a journalist, said “cash-strapped South Sudan needs any ally, financial gain and diplomatic security it can get”.