Sudan becomes third Arab state to set aside hostilities with Israel this year

Israel and Sudan consented to take steps to regularize relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government to set aside hostilities with Israel in the last two months.

U.S. President Donald Trump, attempting re-election on Nov. 3, sealed the agreement in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Transitional Council Head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, senior U.S. officials said.

Mr Netanyahu announced it as a "new era" for the region, but the Palestinian leadership, watching as more of their Arab brethren appear to give their quest for statehood a lower priority, called it a "new stab in the back".

Israel and Sudan plan to begin by opening economic and trade links, with the first focus on agriculture, the joint statement said.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such topics as the formal establishment of diplomatic ties would be resolved later.

Trump announced on Monday he would take Sudan off the terrorism list once it had deposited $335 million it had pledged to pay in compensation. Khartoum has since placed the funds in a special escrow account for victims of al Qaeda attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.