Israel jeopardising Trump's Gaza peace plan, say UAE, 7 other Islamic nations

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates, along with seven other Muslim-majority nations, issued a stern joint declaration on Thursday, sharply criticising Israel's ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip and alleging that its actions threaten to derail US President Donald Trump's peace framework intended to conclude the conflict.

The collective communique was released by the foreign ministers representing the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They asserted that Israel's persistent military offensive impairs international initiatives focused on executing the subsequent stage of the Gaza peace strategy, particularly following the acceptance of the blueprint announced by Trump by various Palestinian groups.

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The joint initiative demonstrates a notable convergence among Islamic nations that frequently hold diverging diplomatic stances, ranging from the UAE, a key regional security ally of Washington maintaining official relations with Israel, to Turkiye, which remains among Tel Aviv's fiercest detractors.

The eight signatory states asserted that Israel is acting in defiance of international legal standards and cautioned that persistent combat operations jeopardise months of painstaking diplomatic work focused on establishing an enduring truce.

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According to the joint statement, Israel's conduct in Gaza "constitutes a clear breach of Israel's obligations under international law and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, undermines international and regional efforts aimed at implementing the second phase of the Plan, particularly following the announcement by US President Donald Trump that the Palestinian factions accepted the roadmap, including the provisions relating to the confinement of weapons."

The diplomatic representatives cautioned that Israel's actions "threaten to derail the political process, reignite the cycle of escalation, and further deepen the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip."

The joint announcement coincides with mounting ambiguity surrounding the execution of Trump's armistice proposal. That blueprint called for Hamas to commence handing over its arms in exchange for Israel halting combat operations and executing a step-by-step military drawdown from the enclave.

The top diplomats voiced intense disapproval regarding Israel's ongoing strikes across Gaza, emphasising the damage inflicted on critical non-military installations.

"The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt express their strongest condemnation and denunciation of the ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, particularly the targeting of healthcare facilities and medical infrastructure, attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the continued loss of civilian lives, including women and children, in grave violation of international law, including international humanitarian law."

The leaders underscored that safeguarding non-combatants, medical facilities, healthcare staff and aid personnel constitutes a mandatory obligation under international legal frameworks. They emphasised that vital humanitarian relief, comprising medical supplies and emergency assistance, must be permitted unhindered, secure and immediate passage to every section of the Gaza Strip.

Expanding their scope beyond Gaza, the foreign ministers maintained that the crisis cannot be isolated from broader events unfolding within the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The communique reaffirmed support for revived diplomatic endeavours centred on a two-state framework, while rejecting any measures aimed at annexing Palestinian lands or forcibly uprooting residents.

The joint declaration followed statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reiterated that Israeli forces will remain in their present locations within Gaza until Hamas undergoes full disarmament. Speaking on social media earlier in the week, Netanyahu acknowledged that disagreements persist between Tel Aviv and the Trump administration regarding the execution of the recently revealed pact.

While the framework anticipated Hamas initiating disarmament alongside a cessation of Israeli bombardments and a phased troop retreat, Netanyahu maintained that disarmament must precede any military pullback.

"The Trump administration sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments," Netanyahu said. "This is our position. We stand firm on our interests, I believe, both wisely and resolutely."

The Israeli Prime Minister added that defence forces would continue to "do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens."

This impasse surrounding the sequencing of disarmament versus troop withdrawal has surfaced as a primary bottleneck hindering progress into the subsequent stage of the truce arrangement.