Hamas stated it will not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established
Hamas stated today that it will not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established, which is the militant Palestinian organization’s latest response to Israel’s key demand for ending the war in Gaza.
In a statement, Hamas said it cannot give up its right to “armed resistance” unless an “independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” is established, reports Reuters.
Israel considers Hamas’s disarmament a key condition for any agreement to end the conflict, but Hamas has repeatedly stated that it is not ready to lay down its arms.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire and reaching a deal on the release of hostages, reached a deadlock last week.
Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating peace efforts, supported earlier this week the positions of France and Saudi Arabia, which proposed steps toward a “two-state” solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating that Hamas should hand over its weapons to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that any independent Palestinian state would serve as a platform for the destruction of Israel and that therefore security control over Palestinian territories must remain under Israeli authority.
Netanyahu criticized countries that announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state in response to Israel’s devastation of Gaza, including the United Kingdom and Canada.
According to him, such a move would be a reward for Hamas.
