“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.”
A coalition of Arab and Western nations has signed onto a joint declaration calling for Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, in a move described by French officials as “historic and unprecedented.”
Seventeen countries, including key Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, along with the European Union and Arab League, have endorsed the seven-page statement aimed at ending the war in Gaza and laying the groundwork for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The declaration, obtained by The Times of Israel, was drafted during a high-level United Nations conference focused on reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
“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 reads.
The text also includes a forceful condemnation of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, an event that triggered the ongoing war.
France, which co-chaired the conference with Saudi Arabia, hailed the statement as a turning point in Middle East diplomacy.
“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,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
In addition to France and several Arab nations, the declaration was also signed by Canada, Britain, and other Western allies. Notably absent from the conference were Israel and its closest ally, the United States.
Since the October 7, 2023, massacre, support for a two-state solution is at record lows in Israel and among American Jews and Republican allies. Many point to the “pay-for-slay” program that incentivizes terror and even rewarded the October 7 terrorists to show that the PA is not serious about peace.
The agreement also floats the possibility of deploying an international stabilization force in Gaza once hostilities end. That mission would be led by the United Nations and supported by regional and global partners.
“We supported 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,” the statement says, stressing the role of the UN Security Council in authorizing such a force.
However, critics of the plan noted that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency was directly supporting Hamas by hiding rocket launchers in schools and terrorist bases under hospitals. The agency’s employees even participated in the October 7 massacre.
The declaration represents a rare moment of public alignment between Arab and Western countries, and if enacted, the agreement could mark the first significant diplomatic step toward removing Hamas from power in Gaza and expanding regional normalization with Israel first started under the Abraham Accords.
