THE foreign ministers of eight countries on Sunday condemned Israel's declared rejection of a roadmap for completing the peace plan in the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Such rejection confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza," the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia said in a joint statement.
The ministers said Israel's position directly negates the roadmap and fundamentally undermines collective efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Gaza.
They said the roadmap is a "vital milestone" for the decommissioning of weapons concurrently with the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of the International Stabilization Force, the transfer of the administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and reconstruction of the enclave, the statement read.
The ministers warned that any attempt to reject or block Palestinian statehood would directly undermine the prospects for peace, security and stability across the region.
They also urged Israel to comply with the peace plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 9 said that Israel rejects a Gaza peace roadmap plan presented by the U.S.-led "Board of Peace," maintaining that Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed. Israel would never agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state in either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, he added.
