Hamas calls on Arab League to support keeping group in post-war Gaza’s consensus government
The armed wing of Hamas, Qassam Brigades, has released a statement expressing surprise at reports that the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, has suggested that Hamas’s relinquishing power in Gaza would represent the interest of the Palestinian people.
“We have shown the utmost flexibility in formulating political and administrative approaches to managing the Gaza Strip during the various dialogues, especially with our brothers in Egypt, including agreeing to form a national consensus government,” Hamas said.
“We affirm that Hamas will continue to place the supreme interest of the Palestinian people at the heart of all its decisions related to the situation in the Gaza Strip after the war, within the framework of national consensus, and away from any interference by the occupation or the United States,” the statement read.
“We also call on the Arab League to support this position and not to allow the passage of any projects that would threaten the Arab national security system,” Hamas stated.
Saudi Arabia gathering on Gaza to determine outcome of summit in Cairo
Adnan Hayajneh, professor of international relations and US foreign policy at Qatar University, says the gathering in Saudi Arabia to counter the plan for Gaza advanced by Trump is an important development.
“It is being held in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is a leading country in the Arab world. It is also attended by many countries that have peace treaties with Israel,” he said.
“They all agree that peace is important for the region. These countries also have good relations with the US, and they want to keep that,” Hayajneh added.
He stressed that many of them have a lot of leverage over the US in terms of investments, such as Saudi Arabia, adding all of them were “shocked” by Trump’s proposal to remove the Palestinians from Gaza.
“This meeting is an informal discussion, and whatever is discussed in this meeting, I think, will be adopted by the Arab League summit on March 4,” Hayajneh concluded.
Middle East faces a ‘crucial moment’, Egyptian ex-minister says
Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Hussein Haridy says Trump’s plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip would have dire repercussions for the Palestinian national struggle for self-determination.
“This is a very crucial moment,” Haridy told Al Jazeera from the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
If the Arab counterproposal for Gaza is not well received by the Trump administration, it could “be a game-changer” for the region, he said.
Haridy said the Egyptian government has been working on the counterproposal, the first stage of which involves the reconstruction of Gaza. “I believe that the plan will be well received by the Arab countries,” he said.
