Despite news in Washington about the freezing of negotiations between Tel Aviv and Khartoum, the Israeli government confirmed, in an official document, that it is conducting advanced negotiations with Sudan on a peace agreement. This was reflected in a letter to the High Court of Justice in west Jerusalem, which is looking into two petitions submitted by Israeli human rights movements, one of them demanding the issuance of a decision binding the Jewish state to recognize the Sudanese refugees from Darfur as refugees, and the second to grant them temporary residence. The High Court of Justice has granted the state a three-month extension to determine the status of asylum seekers from Darfur. However, the state informed the court of secret developments in relations between Israel and Sudan, which may affect the outcome of the petition filed on behalf of Sudanese refugees. Court President Esther Hayut, Justice Yael Vilner and Justice George Kara decided that after viewing the classified material presented to them, they would allow the state to further update the court in three months, before they rule on the petition. In March of 2019, the court issued a temporary order requesting the state to explain why it had not given temporary residency status to refugees from Darfu