Jewish Dems Raise Concerns About Sudan Deal

Jewish Democratic Council of America expresses concern about series of Israel quid pro quos that suit Trump’s short-term political interests – asserts Trump is using Israel as a “political tool”

WASHINGTON – Today, the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) expressed optimism and concern about the announcement of normalization of relations between Israel and the Sudan.

JDCA Executive Director Halie Soifer released the following statement:

“We welcome the normalization of relations between Israel and other countries, but we are concerned that President Trump views foreign policy toward Israel as a series of self-serving transactional deals. This is another Israel quid pro quo driven by Trump’s short-term political interests rather than the long-term safety and security of the United States and its allies, including Israel. Trump demonstrated that today when he called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss Sudan and asked him to comment as he vilified Joe Biden.

“In this case, more questions than answers are on the table. It appears that Trump has traded Sudan’s removal from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism in return for compensating victims of terrorism and normalizing relations with Israel. This deal appears timed more to influence the outcome of the U.S. election than a result of tangible policy considerations that would justify removing Sudan from this list.

“We are deeply concerned that as Trump’s presidency draws to an end, he has used Israel as a political tool, politicizing U.S. foreign policy toward Israel to serve his own interests in a way that no president has ever done before. That’s why a majority of Jewish Americans trust Joe Biden more on every issue, including foreign policy and Israel, and will overwhelmingly support him in this election.”

For more information on JDCA’s policy positions, its strategy around the 2020 election, or to speak with Halie Soifer, contact [email protected].