Several Arab and Muslim states joined other world powers in signing a declaration calling for Hamas to relinquish control in the Gaza Strip and get rid of its weapons. The declaration also called for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Arab nations unite
The 22-member Arab League joined the entire European Union and 17 other countries in signing the declaration at a United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
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“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 document said.
While many see the move of Arab and Muslim states rebuking an Arab and Muslim organization as rare, Hamas is actually not looked upon the same way as others in the Arab world.
“After the Arab Spring, any manifestation of a political Islamic organization, whether it was Hamas or its parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, was actually banned in many Arab states,” Nader Hashemi, associate professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told Straight Arrow News. “They were officially declared a terrorist organization. They were viewed as sort of a destabilizing force in the politics of the region.”
Hamas in the Arab world
Hashemi explained that there are still some Arab states, like Qatar, that have maintained a warm relationship with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Still, he said most states look at Hamas unfavorably.
“Generally speaking, none of these Arab states that are part of this declaration recently at the United Nations, in the context of this meeting that France and Saudi Arabia have organized, are direct backers of Hamas,” Hashemi said. “It’s Iran that has supported Hamas in the past and still does to a certain extent.”
Despite this move, Hashemi doesn’t expect the document to have much of an impact inside Gaza. He said the impact will really come within the Arab world.
While Hamas is seen as a terrorist organization in much of the world, it’s not the same for everyday Arabs who may not be thrilled with their own governments for signing this document.
“[Hamas is] viewed by many people in the region as an organization that does engage in violence, sometimes grotesque violence, but it’s also viewed in the region as an organization that is an anti-colonial resistance force fighting for self-determination,” Hashemi said. “That’s the view on the streets in the Arab world.”
He continued.
“Many people are going to read the statement in the context of this horrific situation in Gaza, the mass starvation, what’s widely viewed now as a genocide, as Arab states sort of siding with Israel in the west over the rights of the Palestinian peoples in Gaza,” Hashemi said.
Two-state solution
That document did not focus on the ongoing hunger issue in Gaza, but rather on a two-state solution. Because of that, both Israel and the United States did not sign and completely boycotted the meeting.
The U.S. State Department called the meeting “unproductive and ill-timed.”
“This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict,” Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, said in a statement. “Far from promoting peace, the conference will prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace. As Secretary Rubio has made clear, this effort is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7 and a reward for terrorism.”
Hashemi said even if a two-state solution became possible, it might be hard to make it a reality.
“All the focus was on a two-state settlement recognition of a Palestinian state, which is, you know, a wonderful thing if it can happen, but there’s not much left to recognize in Palestine because of Israeli settlement construction,” Hashemi said. “And if you just look at what’s happening in the West Bank, you know, Hamas is not in power in the West Bank.”
