The foreign ministers of eight countries on Sunday condemned Israel's declared rejection of a roadmap for completing the peace plan in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Such rejection confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza," the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia said in a joint statement.
The ministers said Israel's position directly negates the roadmap and fundamentally undermines collective efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Gaza.
They said the roadmap is a "vital milestone" for the decommissioning of weapons concurrently with the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of the International Stabilization Force, the transfer of the administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and reconstruction of the enclave, the statement read.
The ministers warned that any attempt to reject or block Palestinian statehood would directly undermine the prospects for peace, security and stability across the region.
They also urged Israel to comply with the peace plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 9 said that Israel rejects a Gaza peace roadmap plan presented by the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," maintaining that Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed. Israel would never agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state in either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, he added.
8 states condemn Israeli rejection of Gaza peace roadmap
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Sunday called on mediators and guarantors to press Israel to approve the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The call was made as U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner, and a Hamas delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the movement's political bureau, arrived in Cairo to advance the U.S.-proposed Gaza peace plan.
In a statement, the Hamas delegation urged the mediators and the U.S.-led "Board of Peace" to press Israel to implement all its commitments under the first phase of the agreement, halt killings and ground incursions, and approve the roadmap for the second phase of the agreement.
Hamas also said it had accepted the roadmap, citing its aim to secure a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, sustained humanitarian aid, and the start of work by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that Israel rejected the U.S.-backed roadmap and would not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas was fully disarmed.
The "Board of Peace" published a 15-point roadmap on July 31 for implementing the next phase of the Gaza agreement. It includes an end to military operations, the transfer of civilian administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the decommissioning of heavy weapons, weapons stockpiles, military production facilities and tunnels, alongside arrangements for an Israeli withdrawal.
Hamas urges pressure on Israel to approve roadmap for 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire agreement
