From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 3, 2024
Arab FMs back latest Gaza ceasefire-hostage release efforts
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt issue a joint statement expressing their support for US President Joe Biden’s latest effort to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
This initiative saw Biden go public with what he said was the latest Israeli proposal and call on Hamas to accept it.
The foreign ministers of the five aforementioned Arab countries held a virtual meeting earlier today to discuss the matter further, their joint statement says.
The top Arab diplomats “emphasized the importance of engaging seriously and positively with the US president’s proposal to agree on a deal that secures a permanent ceasefire and the adequate delivery of aid to all parts of the Gaza Strip to alleviate the suffering of its people,” the joint statement says, calling also for “the release of hostages and detainees.”
The ministers “stressed the need to halt the aggression against Gaza, end the humanitarian catastrophe it is causing, facilitate the return of displaced people to their areas, ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and initiate a reconstruction process within the framework of a comprehensive plan to implement the two-state solution in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, with specific timings and binding guarantees.”
The statement also reiterates the countries’ support for establishing a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines.
The Times of Israel Community.