Muslim states join Europe in backing Trump Gaza plan

Key Muslim nations have thrown their weight behind a plan by US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, even as some Palestinians decried the proposal as a “farce”.

Washington’s European allies have urged Hamas to accept the plan, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported as he warned the Palestinian armed group of more devastation if it did not comply.

Eight Arab or Muslim-majority nations said they “welcome the role of the American president and his sincere efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza”.

In a joint statement, they said they “affirm their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and the parties toward finalising the agreement and ensuring its implementation”.

The countries include Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey — which all recognise Israel, although some have turbulent relationships.

Another signatory was Qatar, which has played a key mediatory role, and Saudi Arabia, whose future normalisation with Israel is a key goal for Trump and Netanyahu.

Indonesia and Pakistan, the world’s two most populous Muslim-majority countries, also signed.

Indonesia has offered troops as part of a future Gaza force, while Pakistan has been eager to woo Trump and improve its relationship with Washington.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he believed Trump was “fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary” to secure an end to the war.

The Palestinian Authority, which Netanyahu has sought to sideline, was also quick to offer support, calling Trump’s efforts “sincere and determined”.

Hamas has yet to comment in depth, while Qatar said it would hold talks with negotiators and Turkey on Tuesday to discuss the plan.

“The (Hamas) negotiating delegation promised to study it responsibly,” Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, told a press conference.

However, Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian armed group fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, called the plan “a recipe for continued aggression against the Palestinian people”.

“Through this, Israel is attempting — via the United States — to impose what it could not achieve through war,” it said.

Residents in Gaza expressed scepticism, dismissing the plan as a trick to release hostages that would not end the war.

“We as a people will not accept this farce,” said Abu Mazen Nassar, 52.

– Foreign backing –

Several European leaders voiced support Tuesday for Trump’s Gaza plan, with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling it the “best chance” to end the war as he met relatives of German-Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation in Gaza an “ongoing tragedy”.

“We want this plan to be implemented and for it to help bring events in the Middle East to a peaceful conclusion,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing “supports all efforts conducive to easing tensions between Palestine and Israel”.

Trump also won UK and French backing from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron for his plan, which includes a call for a transitional body in Gaza involving former British premier Tony Blair.

Blair, a former envoy for the diplomatic Middle East Quartet of the UN, United States, EU and Russia, called it a “bold and intelligent plan” that could bring “immediate relief” to Gaza and a “brighter and better future” if agreed.

European Council chief Antonio Costa urged all parties to “seize this moment to give peace a genuine chance”, adding that the situation in Gaza was “intolerable”.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez — who has accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza — said Madrid “welcomes the peace proposal”, adding that a two-state solution was “the only one possible”.

AFP

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