Palestine asks Sudan to hand over confiscated Palestinian assets

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestinian Authority on Saturday asked Sudan to hand over movable and immovable Palestinian assets confiscated by Khartoum.

"We hope that Sudan, which has alongside its government and people stood by the people of Palestine, will hand over the confiscated movable and immovable assets to the State of Palestine,” Hussein Al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinian General Authority of Civil Affairs, said in a Twitter post.

He said the money is needed by the Palestinian people, especially by those under siege in Gaza.

Media reports emerged Thursday that Sudanese authorities have seized “lucrative assets that for years provided backing for Hamas” during the reign of former leader Omar al-Bashir.

However, Hamas denied any link between the movement and the ownership of the confiscated assets and called on Sudanese leaders to protect the assets of Palestinians living in the country.

The Sudanese authorities have yet to make an official comment on the matter.

Sudan was among four Arab nations that normalized their relations with Israel last year despite local resistance against the move described by Palestinians as an act of “betrayal.”

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar