Arab Countries Will Sign Peace Agreements With Israel If Gaza War Ends: Egypt

Arab countries will sign peace agreements with Israel “if the war in Gaza comes to an end,” Egypt’s foreign minister said on Wednesday. Speaking to the Saudi channel Al-Arabiya, the Egyptian foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, also said that the main focus on the peace talks is the first phase that would see the release of all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and ending the war. Meanwhile, the United States’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were set to arrive in Egypt to bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas. Messrs. Kushner and Witkoff’s arrival at Sharm El-Sheikh comes as Qatar is seeking “strong, written international guarantees” that Israel will keep its end of the deal. Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani of Qatar is also expected to arrive at Sharm el Sheikh on Wednesday. Speaking to Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, said that “the devil is in the details, as they say in English,” and that Hamas and Israel are discussing the release of all hostages, a permanent end to the war that will lead to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, as well as the identity of the Palestinian prisoners set to be released. Tahir Al-Nono, media advisor to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, issued a statement from Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday saying that “lists of prisoners requested for release, based on the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged” with Israel. The mediators are making “significant efforts to remove any obstacles to the steps for implementing a ceasefire, and a spirit of optimism is prevailing among everyone,” he said, adding that indirect negotiations continue today with the participation of all parties and mediators.The Wall Street Journal meanwhile reported that Hamas is seeking to get Marwan Barghouti included in the list of Palestinian prisoners set to be exchanged for Israeli hostages. Barghouti is serving life in prison for his role in the murder of five persons during the second intifada. The terror group also wants the release of the bodies of Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar, the brothers who ruled Hamas in Gaza during the war. An Israeli official told The New York Sun that he doesn’t think Barghouti will be released. As for the bodies of the Sinwar brothers, “maybe Israel will agree if there’s a significant enough return for them.”“Israel wants to close the first part of the deal now so all the hostages can get out immediately. And then we can discuss the other points, such as the withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas is trying to find areas of the deal that they can change in their favour. But we want the first phase done now,” the official added. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group wants Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza the same day as the last hostage is released. This demand directly contradicts Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan, which states that Israel will gradually withdraw from the enclave until Hamas no longer poses a threat. The Qatari-funded media outlet also cited a joint statement by Hamas and other Palestinian groups that “no one has the right to cede the weapons of the Palestinian people.” One of the key points in Mr. Trump’s plan is for Hamas to disarm, a non-negotiable demand for Israel. Hamas is worried that Israel won’t adhere to the deal once all hostages have been released. When asked about which guarantees America can offer, Mr. Trump said that Washington has “a lot of power to make sure everyone adheres to the deal.”The president also thanked the Hostage Forum in Israel for nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize. “My entire administration has been touched by the fact that, through the unimaginable pain and suffering of spending two years not knowing where your loved ones are, you have continued telling their stories and advocating on their behalf,” Mr. Trump said in a letter to the forum.“May God bless you and your loved ones, and may He continue to bless the United States of America and the State of Israel, as we pray that this conflict will be at an end in the coming days–or else,” the letter added.

Arab Countries Will Sign Peace Agreements With Israel If Gaza War Ends: Egypt

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