2 minute read
Israel bears responsibility for the potential failure of mediation efforts aimed at resolving the situation in the Gaza Strip, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to preserve the status quo and maintain an Israeli military presence in the enclave, RIA Novosti reports, citing Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy.
“Netanyahu is clearly seeking to derail all mediation efforts and consolidate the status quo in the Gaza Strip, which means the continuation of daily killings, the expansion of the occupation and obstruction of efforts to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in which more than two million Palestinians have been living for three years,” Fahmy said.
According to the Secretary-General, the Palestinian movement Hamas has agreed to arrangements reached through mediators that provide for the group’s disarmament alongside the withdrawal of Israeli troops, the deployment of an international stabilisation force and the transfer of administrative powers to a national committee for the administration of Gaza. Israel, Fahmy said, has in turn refused to fulfil its commitments.
Fahmy welcomed a statement by eight Arab and Muslim countries condemning Israel’s position and called on countries supporting a two-state solution to adopt a unified position.
He also urged the United States to exert pressure to ensure an immediate transition to the second phase of the agreement.