Arab and Muslim Nations Join International Call for Hamas to Disarm and Turn Over Gaza to the Palestinians
Hamas has been urged by Arab and Muslim states to make a diplomatic change and give the Palestinian state back control of Gaza.
An important diplomatic step in the fight to stop the current conflict in the region has been taken when Arab and Muslim nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, jointly called for Hamas to disarm and give up its control of the Gaza Strip.
Saudi Arabia and France co-hosted a United Nations summit in New York, where the call was part of a joint declaration. Supported by the European Union, the 22-member Arab League, and 17 other nations, the summit covered the implementation of a two-state solution and a peaceful conclusion to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Government, law enforcement, and security across all Palestinian territory must lie solely with the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate international support,” the declaration declared. It further emphasized that “Hamas must cease its rule in Gaza and transfer its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State, in the context of ending the war in Gaza.”
In addition to denouncing the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the statement suggested that “a temporary international stabilization mission” be sent under UN supervision if the Palestinian Authority requested it. “We applauded the willingness shown by certain Member States to provide troops,” the statement said.
The agreement was referred to as “unprecedented” by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who also noted that “on the part of Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Muslim countries who for the first time will condemn terrorism, the acts of terror on the 7th of October, [they have] called for the disarmament of Hamas and expressed their hope to have a normalized relationship with Israel in due time.”
“We applaud this significant step and the Arab League’s acknowledgement that Hamas must cease its rule in Gaza,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Abduction of defenseless men, women, and children is a flagrant transgression of international law that needs to be categorically denounced.
In recent months, the stance of Arab nations that are important mediators in ceasefire talks, such Egypt and Qatar, has progressively changed. Egypt put out a plan in March that called for a transitional Palestinian committee to eventually hand over power to the Palestinian Authority, but excluded Hamas from post-conflict governance of Gaza.
The United States and Israel have sharply criticized France and the United Kingdom for their commitment to recognize a Palestinian state by September, whereas Saudi Arabia has long advocated for the return of the two-state solution.
Despite increasing international pressure, Hamas has given conflicting signals about its future position in the enclave and has not made it apparent that it intends to give up control of Gaza. The two-state option is still strongly opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claims it jeopardizes Israel’s security.
