Foreign ministers from several countries condemned Israel’s rejection of a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s denial of a Palestinian state.
In a joint statement issued Sunday, foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt said these positions “fundamentally undermine collective efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
“This rejection confirms that Israel now bears the responsibility for obstructing efforts to achieve peace in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory,” the statement said.
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The foreign ministers urged the U.S. to “ensure and hold Israel accountable for its full compliance with the commitments and arrangements outlined in the comprehensive plan and its Roadmap, and to prevent any further obstruction of their implementation.”
“They also stress that Israel bears direct and full responsibility for any consequences arising from its continued rejection, obstruction, delay, or non-compliance, including any resulting deterioration of the situation on the ground and any disruption of efforts to end the war in Gaza,” the statement said.
Netanyahu made his comments about the 15-point plan for Gaza during a cabinet meeting last Sunday. He said the Israeli military will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas is disarmed.
“And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament,” Netanyahu said.
He added that as long as he is prime minister, “a Palestinian state will not be established.”
The Foreign ministers, in their statement Sunday, responded to this by saying a “just, lasting, and comprehensive peace can only be achieved through the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.” This Palestinian state, they said, must be “based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international law and relevant [United Nations] resolutions.”
Trump announced the 15-point roadmap for implementing a peace plan in Gaza in July. It includes Gaza being governed by a new Palestinian government.
“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”
Jared Kushner meets with Hamas leaders
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday, The Associated Press reported, citing a regional official and a Hamas official who both spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The meeting, which took place in Egypt, was more than two hours long and also included Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish officials. A source with “direct knowledge” of the talks told Axios Hamas leaders reaffirmed their commitment to disarming.
“Kushner told them there is no room for negotiations on the disarmament, but if they show real steps the U.S. will do its best to make sure Israel takes steps of its own,” the source said to Axios.
Hamas leaders said they had frustrations about Israel’s strikes on Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement that was announced in October, Axios wrote.
These strikes continued Sunday.
Reuters wrote at least five Palestinians were injured in a strike that hit a tent encampment. One of the people wounded in a strike on Khan Younis later died from their injuries, medics at Nasser Hospital told Reuters.
Several people were hurt in another Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment in the Nuseirat camp in Gaza, medics said, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military maintains they were targeting militants.
At least 1,252 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks after the ceasefire was agreed to.
More than 73,377 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department, told The Associated Press earlier this month at least 7,400 people are still under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes. Most of Gaza’s population of 2.1 million has been displaced. Israel’s restrictions on aid to Gaza have created a humanitarian crisis in the enclave as well.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over what it says are war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israel. Several human rights organizations and experts have also said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Israel’s current offensive in Gaza began after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas-led militants in Israel, where around 1,200 people were killed and 251 more were taken hostage. All living hostages, and the bodies of those who were killed, have since been returned.
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