Top Sudanese official resigns after Israeli PM meeting with country’s military leader

In what might come as a shock to many, a top Sudanese official has stepped down over Israeli Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Sudan's military council leader, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The resignation was confirmed by Sudan's privately owned news outlet, Al-Intibaha newspaper.

"The director of the Foreign Relations Department at the Sovereign Council, Ambassador Rashad Faraj al-Tayib, has submitted his resignation in protest against [Burhan's] recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Entebbe, Uganda," it reported.

In a statement, Mr Tayib described Mr Netanyahu as the leader of "the entity that occupies the al-Aqsa Mosque" in East Jerusalem.

Al-Aqsa is one of Islam's holiest sites and is in the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif site also revered by Jews. The compound is a source of religious and political tension between Israel and the Palestinians.

According to the BBC, Gen Burhan's meeting with Mr Netanyahu has created a storm in Sudan, with the information minister and former ruling party criticising it, saying it was a deviation from the position of many Sudanese.

However, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stressed that Sudan's position on the Palestinian issue remained unchanged, despite the meeting.