France and Saudi Arabia said to propose plan to disarm Hamas, but allow it limited political power

Paris and Riyadh are devising a plan to have the Hamas terror group disarmed, but let it retain political influence over the Gaza Strip, according to a Bloomberg report.

Saudi officials have been in touch with Hamas over the initiative, according to unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, but it remains unclear if France has been in contact with the Iran-backed group, which is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union, says Bloomberg.

The goal is to turn Hamas “into a purely political entity that can still play some role in future Palestinian governance,” in order to make the terror group more open to disarmament, the report reads.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plan to hold a joint conference at the United Nations next month to promote the two-state solution as the best path forward from the current conflict, and to potentially announce unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state — a move Israel rejects and says would amount to an award for Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack.