Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, visited Jerusalem in late December to discuss cooperation between the two countries on a variety of issues . . . Klir has also suggested placing its embassy in Jerusalem to signal the strong relationship between South Sudan and Israel . . . Israel was among the first foreign leaders to recognize the independence of South Sudan . . . Jerusalem was also involved in the 1960’s with training South Sudanese rebels to fight against their oppressors from northern Sudan . . . Jerusalem sees many benefits from having close relations with Juba, including access to oil and other natural resources . . . South Sudan could also prove to be a major ally for Israel because of its leverage over Egypt in negotiations concerning the allocation of Nile River water . . . South Sudan is most interested in establishing an alliance with Jerusalem that includes security cooperation against aggressive behavior from Sudan . . . however South Sudan is also desperate to expand its partnership with Jerusalem in order to improve the economy of South Sudan.