I just read on Foreign Policy's Passport that Israel and South Sudan have announced their intention to establish full diplomatic relations.
This is a mutually understandable move. South Sudan basically welcomes everyone who's willing to embrace their sovereignty and independence. The same goes for Israel, even though the state of Israel has obvioulsy been around for much longer than South Sudan. Israel recognizes it can sometimes benefit from unexpected allies in forums like the UN General Assembly.
Another element that might have come into consideration on the Israeli side is that the American christian-right, who love Israel, also adore South Sudan. Sarah Palin's visit to Juba as the nation declared independence is testimony to this general sentiment.
More important however could be Israel's need for a strategic listening post in the area. In recent years, Israel has been suspected of launching a number of air strikes on targets in Sudan.
As far as I can recall, the first recent air strike in Sudan that was alledgedly carried out by Israel came in January 2009. As Israel was engaged in operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, intelligence indicated Iran might be transporting weapons on a ship to Port Sudan, which would then be trucked to Gaza through Egypt and Sudan. Because it would be politically impossible for Israel to attack a convoy in Egypt, the Air Force was apparently asked to carry out a raid on the convoy while it was still in Sudan. In the lingo of special operations, Israeli PM Olmert confirmed nor denied Israeli involvement, but did get a message across.
A few months later a somewhat similar story emerged. A ship alledgedly carrying Iranian weapons destined for Gaza sank as a result of an explosion, whether it was a torpedo or aerial attack seems unclear. A similar pattern emerges: Sudan blames Israel, which only responds by saying it will act against terror worldwide.
In April 2011, another mysterious attack hit a Sudan. This time, a lone car carrying "an Islamist responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas" was targeted. Sudan was quick to blame Israel, which once more confirmed nor denied involvement.
As far as I know, these are all the incidents in recent years on Sudanese territory that were blamed on Israel. These reports don't seem entirely incredible. Should anyone know of more incidents, do drop a note in the comments..!
With these allegations of Israeli attacks in Sudan in mind, an official Israeli presence in Juba could be of tremendous value for Israeli intelligence gathering in the region. And with the Israelis potentially thinking of getting some arms deals done with the South Sudanese, there's even the prospect of a military-to-military cooperation which would really add weight to Israeli significance in the region.
In sum, even though Israel and South Sudan are just beginning to cuddle up, we could see some seriously interesting developments in their relationship and in the region in years to come!
