The Foreign Minister of Egypt have strongly condemned the Israel’s declared rejection of the Road Map for implementing the Comprehensive Plan of US President Donald Trump to End the Gaza Conflict. The condemning decision was made with the consent of fellow Foreign Ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the ministers, Israel’s rejection of the plan and Palestinian statehood menace efforts to end the war and long for lasting peace. They said that Israel’s status indicates a direct challenge to the Comprehensive Plan, which was introduced by UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Ministers of Arab and Muslim Nations stated that Israel will be held responsible for becoming a barrier in efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and the wider Occupied Palestinian Territory if it will continue to reject or delay the agreed arrangements.
Road Map Sets Out Next Steps for Gaza
According to the foreign ministers, the Road Map was accepted by Palestinian factions which was the result of extensive attempts by mediators that included Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States along with other parties in the peace process.
The Road Map has several important steps to be followed for ending the conflict. It majorly includes the decommissioning of weapons and firearms as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces. It also aims to deploy International Stabilisation Force and transfer the Administrative Authority in Gaza to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Objective of this plan is to reconstruct Gaza and address the severe humanitarian crisis in the territory. For which the ministers have warned that rejecting the Road Map can be a great obstruction in ending the war. They urged for a continuous and active US involvement in order to ensure that all promises made under the Comprehensive Plan are implemented.
Call for Palestinian Statehood and Two-State Solution
The foreign ministers expressed that the Comprehensive Plan must be implemented fully and immediately without any delay to improve the humanitarian situation. With quick implementation security will be restored and Gaza will regain its stability and support for reconstruction and recovery.
As per the ministers, they completely support the Palestinian self-determination and statehood, considering which they rejected any further attempts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state through unilateral actions.
The ministers stated clearly that they can achieve the lasting peace only by a two-state solution. This allows an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and announcing East Jerusalem as its official capital, along with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Board of Peace Needs to Act
The ministers have also highlighted the significant role of the Board of Peace and called all parties to support its efforts in implementing the Road Map and advance the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan.
They requested the Board of Peace to take immediate and practical measures with active US support. They also urged to protect the agreement and prevent any party from blocking its implementation.
All of them have strictly warned that continued rejection, delays or non-compliance could worsen conditions on the ground. Also, it will further hinder efforts to bring the Gaza war to an end.