US envoy: Hamas must disarm to join Palestinian government
Donald Trump's leading Middle East diplomat calls for the Gaza-based terror group to abandon violence
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has said Hamas must renounce violence and commit to negotiations with Israel if it wants to play a role in any Palestinian government.
They are demands the Islamic terror group has always rejected.
Jason Greenblatt’s statement was the first American comment on advancing reconciliation efforts between the rival Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions, and echoed Israeli demands.
“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to non-violence, recognise the state of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties – including to disarm terrorists – and commit to peaceful negotiations,” Mr Greenblatt said in a statement.
“If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements.”
Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah-led forces in 2007, leaving Mr Abbas only in control of autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Past attempts at reconciliation have failed, but after a decade-long blockade by Israel and Egypt, and three wars with Israel, Hamas has said it is ready to compromise.
Under Egyptian auspices, the Palestinian factions last week reached a preliminary agreement and have formed committees to sort out unresolved issues, most notably who will control Hamas’s massive arsenal. The deal has yet to be implemented.
A White House official said Mr Greenblatt was travelling to Egypt to talk to officials about the Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
Mr Greenblatt has been shuttling through the region in search of a formula to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which last broke down in 2014. His statement on Thursday reiterated long-standing demands of Hamas by the international community.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week there would be no talks with the Palestinians unless Hamas agrees to the same conditions.
Mr Netanyahu, who welcomed Mr Greenblatt’s statement, has added some additional demands, including that Hamas disarm and return the remains of two Israeli soldiers and send back two Israeli civilians believed to be in Hamas captivity.
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US and other Western nations, does not plan to officially be part of the next government.
The Palestinians appear to be hopeful that this will be enough to satisfy the international community, but Hamas has said it will not dismantle its powerful military wing, and it is likely to wield influence behind the scenes.
In a statement, Hamas said it rejected “the extortion and American bias toward the Israeli positions expressed by Jason Greenblatt”.
“Hamas will go ahead in the reconciliation and will not pay attention to any attempt to sabotage or block this track,” it said.
Mr Abbas seeks an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza. Israel captured the territories in 1967, though it withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
With peace efforts on hold, Israel this week pushed plans ahead for 3,000 new homes in West Bank settlements, according to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group.
The planned units are scattered throughout the West Bank and at various stages of approval. Peace Now estimated that roughly 700 of them can be built immediately.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
