Arab nations have urged Hamas to end its rule in Gaza and relinquish its weapons to the Palestinian Authority in an unparalleled joint statement.
“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” the declaration states, adding, “We condemn the attacks committed by Hamas against civilians on the 7th of October. We also condemn the attacks by Israel against civilians in Gaza and civilian infrastructure, siege and starvation, which have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis.”
“We support the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority and under the aegis of the United Nations and in line with UN principles, building on existing UN capacities, to be mandated by the UN Security Council, with appropriate regional and international support,” it also says.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are among the nations behind the joint statement.
France, which led the conference alongside Saudi Arabia in producing the statement, considered the effort “historic and unprecedented,” France 24 reported.
“For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn October 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance, and clearly express their intention to normalize relations with Israel in the future,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
The United States and Israel were not involved in the conference.
