The roadmap announced by the representative of the Peace Council did not receive positive confirmed responses from the Palestinian factions, nor did they reject it. Instead, they requested some clarifications from Mladenov and the mediators. This prompted the mediators in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar to expedite the presentation of bridging approaches to both parties, so that the roadmap plan proposed by Mladenov to implement President Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza would become acceptable to all parties and implementable without obstacles. Consequently, the mediators are striving to implement the provisions of its stages. Communications continued between the mediators and the factions in more than one capital, in Ankara and Cairo. The goal of these communications was to present approaches that bridge the gaps between Hamas on one side and the Peace Council on the other, until Cairo was able to present a paper of approaches to the factions on June 7th. This paper aimed to advance the roadmap that Mladenov had presented earlier. At that time, the factions had agreed to the map but requested some clarifications on some of the fifteen points, the most important of which was the eighth item dedicated to the issue of the factions' weapons in Gaza and the mechanism for settling this issue through gradually inventorying the weapons and storing them in containers under the supervision of an international stability force and the national committee for managing the sector, provided that the settlement coincides with Israel's withdrawal from the yellow line and its gradual retreat.
The Egyptian paper presented included solutions to many of the points that had been discussed by the factions. Consequently, the factions, in their meeting in Cairo, were able to make progress towards adopting this paper after making some important formulations for certain provisions. These formulations were discussed with the mediators, the head of Egyptian intelligence, the head of Turkish intelligence, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman. Hamas requested two additional days to discuss the final wording of the provisions of the amended roadmap, with a clear and positive 'yes' response expected from Hamas and the factions.
The truth is that the Egyptian paper provided a detailed clarification of many points, the most important of which was adopting a national formula for neutralizing weapons instead of handing them over to Israel. The weapons held by the factions would be inventoried and placed in containers under the responsibility of the national committee for managing the sector and under the supervision of an international stability force. This point was one of the most sensitive, and reaching approaches regarding it opened the way for settling the remaining points and linking them to a timeline. The synchronization in implementation between the inventory of weapons and the Israeli withdrawal from the yellow line, the arrival of the national committee to manage the sector to assume its duties, and the dismantling of the militias formed and armed by Israel was one of the most important features of the paper and reduced the points of contention regarding its provisions.
The mediators took into account that Hamas would clearly accept the paper and that representatives of the eight factions who came to Cairo would sign it. Everyone knows that after the approval of Hamas and the factions, the implementation of the agreement depends on the approval of Israel and the American administration, knowing that the mediators were in full contact with the American administration and were kept informed step by step of all developments and the progress of the mediators' discussions with the factions. Therefore, the mediators asked the Hamas leaders in Cairo to await Israel's final response to the paper. However, here we say that moving to implementation requires clear Israeli approval without obstacles, procrastination, or conditions, especially regarding the withdrawal from the yellow line and creating the atmosphere for the deployment of an international stability force, because it is customary for Israel to place significant obstacles during the implementation of any agreement. If the American administration does not use its powers to pressure Israel to accept the Egyptian paper and expedite its implementation, then the mediators' paper is meaningless, and the approval of Hamas and the factions will not make a difference. We fear that Israel will not agree to the paper, especially after Hamas's approval. In this case, Israel might request amendments to some agreed-upon points and their rephrasing, which the factions might consider a clear manipulation of the paper. Here, the role of the mediators becomes finding a new approximate formula, and this requires new rounds of negotiations.
The responsibility for overcoming all anticipated obstacles that Israel might place in the way of the agreement falls on the Peace Council, because it will lead the implementation of the agreement and the end of the war in Gaza. Israel is represented in the Council, especially since the issue that blocked the completion of the implementation of the first and second phases of President Trump's plan is the issue of resistance weapons, as Israel claims. The Egyptian paper found a final and clear solution to this issue with the approval of the factions and the supervision of an international stability force. Therefore, Israel only needs to approve. However, if Israel, especially Netanyahu, who aspires to win the new elections, believes that if he agrees to the Egyptian approaches paper and gives approval for the army to withdraw from Gaza, even gradually, this may not contribute to him getting the votes needed to form a new government coalition, especially since many right-wing parties that form the coalition with Likud always recommend not withdrawing from Gaza and staying there for years, especially the religious parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the Jewish Power and Religious Zionism, because they consider Gaza to be Israeli land and the opportunity has come to reclaim it and displace its inhabitants either voluntarily or by force.
The biggest test now facing the Peace Council lies in pressuring Israel to accept what Hamas has accepted through the mediation of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, and raising the necessary funds for the Peace Council to carry out its tasks in ending the war in Gaza and achieving the necessary peace, security, and stability for the reconstruction of the sector, which needs more than 80 billion dollars. The Council does not have any of these billions because the financial fund of the fund is completely empty, and some countries have even frozen their financial contributions and have not paid them yet.
The most important challenge in this equation is the completion of the formation of the international stability force, which has not yet been formed, and the provision of all necessary logistical support for its work, either due to the lack of clarity of its tasks or Israel's interference in its formation. This may hinder the implementation of the plan to some extent, and I believe that this is an area that member states of the Peace Council must quickly fill and close its subsidiary paths that allow Israeli intervention to obstruct the implementation of the roadmap and achieve peace in Gaza.
شارك برأيك
After the factions approved the amended roadmap... Will Israel obstruct the implementation procedures?