Aug. 17 (UPI) — The foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority nations have condemned Israel’s rejection of a U.S.-backed roadmap to end its war in Gaza and pave the way for Palestinian statehood.
The ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates issued their statement of condemnation Sunday, exactly a week after Israel rejected the 15-point plan.
“Rejecting the road map constitutes an explicit refusal to proceed with the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, and directly threatens to derail the extensive efforts exerted by U.S. President [Donald] Trump to bring an end to the war in Gaza and establish the conditions for lasting peace,” they said.
The 15-point roadmap, unveiled by Trump’s Board of Peace in May, sets out steps to implement the U.N.-adopted Comprehensive Plan to end the war. Late last month, Iran-backed Hamas, which Israel has been fighting in the Palestinian enclave, endorsed the roadmap, which requires the phased decommissioning of militia weapons, followed by corresponding phases of Israeli withdrawal.
Israel rejected the plan Aug. 9, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his military will not withdraw “until Hamas is genuinely disarmed” and that there will be no Palestinian state as long as he is prime minister.
“Not in Gaza and not in the West Bank,” he said.
The Board of Peace hailed Hamas’ commitment to the roadmap as a significant breakthrough toward ending the war, and the minister on Sunday warned that Israel bears “direct and full responsibility for any consequences resulting from its continued rejection, obstruction, delay or non-compliance, including any resulting deterioration of the situation on the ground and disruption of ending the war in Gaza.”
“The ministers reaffirm the urgent need for the full and immediate implementation of the Comprehensive Plan in order to address the grave humanitarian situation, ensure security and stability for all in Gaza and pave the way for reconstruction and recovery and advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and people in the region,” the ministers said.
The statement was issued as Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy, was to meet with Hamas in Egypt on Monday to discuss solutions to the stalemate.