Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., February 17, 2009 Shvat 23, 5769 | | Israel Time: 09:26 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File

Darfur rebel leader visited Israel By Amos Harel and Barak Ravid The leader of one of the rebel groups in Sudan's Darfur region recently visited Israel to discuss with a senior Israeli official the situation in Sudan. Abdel Wahid al-Nur is the head of the Sudan Liberation Movement. While in Israel, he met with the senior official and discussed with him the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Advertisement Al-Nur came to Israel earlier this month at his own initiative, to attend the annual Herzliya Conference. He came with a group of European Jews, most of them French, who have been active on behalf of the Darfur refugees. He did not speak at any of the sessions, but did observe several. At the conference, he was introduced to the senior official, and the two arranged a meeting, which took place a few days later. The Defense Ministry responded, "In the interests of national security, various and sundry meetings are held. We are not in the habit of giving responses after each of these meetings." The Sudan Liberation Movement was founded in 1992. It is a secular group that opposes the Islamist regime of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and its official stated goal is to turn Sudan into a democracy that grants equal rights to all its citizens. However, it also has a military wing that has been fighting government forces in Darfur since 2001. Close ties Al-Nur fled to France in 2007 and has not been back to Sudan since then. He has won support from international human rights organizations and is considered very close to French Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy. In the past, he has spoken in favor of establishing diplomatic ties between Sudan and Israel, and a year ago, he even announced that his movement was opening an office in Tel Aviv, staffed by Sudanese refugees who found asylum in Israel after fleeing the massacres committed by Bashir's forces in Darfur. However, this was his first visit here. Israel currently has more than 600 Darfur refugees, and Ehud Olmert's government decided to grant them all asylum and work permits. This decision was made in part because Bashir's government announced that any Sudanese refugee who set foot in Israel would be considered a "Mossad agent" and would therefore be sentenced to death should he or she ever return to Sudan. Bookmark to del.icio.us   967 days of captivity Officials say Israel may authorize terms for Shalit deal Wednesday. Muslim superheroes A new comic book features a new kind of character to battle radical Islam.

Read & React West Bank settlement gets green light for major expansion Responses: 157 Officials: Israel may authorize terms for Shalit deal Wednesday Responses: 35 Editorial: Israel must end Turkey crisis, not make it worse Responses: 63 Akiva Eldar: What is left of Livni's peace message? Responses: 11 Tel Aviv women fight back against free pornography Responses: 40 More Headlines 08:45 Lieberman and Livni mull non-religious bloc 08:49 ANALYSIS / A rightist coalition will be on collision course with Obama from day one 08:52 'PA strongman Dahlan once called Lieberman key to peace' 09:00 ANALYSIS / Why has Israel backtracked on Shalit deal? 07:52 Officials: Israel may authorize terms for Shalit deal Wednesday 09:15 Mine-clearing teams in Gaza waiting for Israeli okay 07:06 Abbas: Talks will be useless if settlements do not stop 05:57 Vichy government found responsible for deporting Jews in WWII 07:49 Barak tells IDF: Iran nukes are an existential threat to Israel 08:47 Naama the chimp leaves her human home 08:19 Noam Shalit not optimistic about deal for Gilad's release 08:53 Tony Blair honored by Israeli $1 million award 06:30 400 schools across Israel mark Gush Katif Day 08:08 Yad Vashem denounced for plan to honor Nazi who inspired 'The Pianist' 23:28 Report: Caracas synagogue attack was simple robbery, not anti-Semitism Previous Editions Select Day 16 feb 15 feb 13 feb 12 feb 11 feb 10 feb 09 feb 08 feb 06 feb 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb

Special Offers Advertisement Spring Specials-Dan Hotels Jerusalem from 179$. Tel-Aviv from 223$. Herzliya from 336$ Dead Sea Skin Care Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off! Summer in Israel Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009 Passover Vacations The BEST Passover Vacations around ? Mexico, Arizona and Florida Camp Kimama Israel 2009 The best place for your children this summer Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | | Israel 2009 election results

Site rules | Makom: Engaging on Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved