Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen (L) exchanging a document with Sudanese Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim during their meeting in Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Jan. 25, 2021. Photo: Arye Shalicar / Israeli Intelligence Ministry handout.

i24 News – It will be difficult for Sudan to publicly demonstrate the African country’s diplomatic breakthrough with Israel until there is a White House signing ceremony, a senior official told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

The diplomat was explaining Sudan’s absence from last week’s events celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with the later additions of Sudan and Morocco.

Muslim-majority Kosovo agreed to recognize Israel as part of a separate US-brokered deal that also included Serbia moving its embassy to Jerusalem.

Sudan and Morocco did not hold signing ceremonies at the White House when they joined the Abraham Accords.

The agreement with Sudan was signed in January as then-US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin was visiting the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Sudan did not attend an online event Friday hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to mark the one-year anniversary of the Abraham Accords. The top diplomats from Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco participated in the virtual meeting.

Blinken hailed the normalization of relations that have flourished since the Abraham Accords, saying that “this administration will continue to build on the successful efforts of the last administration to keep normalization marching forward.”

The top US diplomat also said that the administration of US President Joe Biden wants to expand the circle of Arab Muslim nations establishing diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.