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Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Israel and Sudan have agreed to normalize relations, the third such U.S.-brokered agreement in the Middle East in recent weeks, the Trump administration announced Friday. President Donald Trump announced the deal during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok he hosted in the presence of reporters in the Oval Office.
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"This is an incredible deal for Israel and Sudan," Trump said during the call. "For decades Sudan has been at a state of war with Israel -- they have been in a state of war and boycotted Israeli goods. There was no relationship whatsoever.
"Today's peace agreement will enhance your security and end Sudan's long isolation from the world.
"It's peace in the Middle East without bloodshed," Trump added.
It's the third peace agreement between an Arab state and Israel in recent weeks. The White House brokered similar deals with Israel, and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
"This truly changes the region," Netanyahu said. "It changes the lives of our peoples for the better and allows us to focus on the task of building our nations."
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the deal was contingent on an agreement Sudan made to settle with the victims of terror attacks, including ones on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.
"Today, in fulfillment of that agreement, the transitional government of Sudan transferred $335 million into an escrow account for these victims and their families," she said.
