Following negotiations in Khartoum, Israel’s foreign minister declared that Israel and Sudan would soon sign a “historic peace agreement” in Washington.
Eli Cohen claimed that during his one-day visit to meet with Sudanese President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the agreement’s language was finalized.
Sudan agreed to normalize relations with Israel two years ago, but a pact was never carried through.
It would be the newest member of the Arab League to forge such connections.
As part of the Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the US, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco have formally normalized relations with Israel since 2020.
In the past, Arab League members had resisted recognizing Israel, which contributed to the continuation of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994 after Egypt did so as the first Arab nation in 1979.
An accord with Sudan holds particular symbolic importance as Khartoum was the venue for an Arab League meeting in 1967 where members vowed not to recognise Israel, after the Arab-Israeli war three months earlier.
Sudan’s foreign ministry said Mr Cohen and Lt-Gen Burhan had “discussed means for establishing fruitful relations with Israel” and strengthening cooperation in “agricultural, energy, health, water, education fields with special emphasis on security and military fields”.
It did not say whether a peace agreement would be signed.
The growing number of Arab countries formalising relations with Israel has been condemned by the Palestinians, who see it as a betrayal of their cause.
For years, Arab countries conditioned peace talks with Israel on its withdrawal from territories occupied in the 1967 war, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Speaking on his return to Israel on Thursday night, Mr Cohen said his trip had been made “with the consent of the United States”.
The visit, he said, “lays the foundations for a historic peace agreement with a strategic Arab and Muslim country. The peace agreement between Israel and Sudan will promote regional stability and contribute to the national security of the State of Israel”.
Mr Cohen said a signing ceremony is expected to take place after the planned transfer of power in Sudan to a civilian government following a military coup in October 2021.