Saudi Arabia and 7 other Islamic countries condemn Israeli rejection of Road Map for Gaza peace

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia and seven other Arab and Islamic countries condemned the declared Israeli rejection of the Road Map for completing the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Türkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates also denounced the Israeli rejection of Palestinian statehood.“These positions amount to a direct repudiation of the Comprehensive Plan, jeopardize its implementation, and fundamentally undermine the collective efforts undertaken to achieve a just and lasting peace. Such rejection confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the ministers said. The Road Map, which has been accepted by the Palestinian factions, is the conclusion of extensive efforts exerted by the mediators, namely Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, the USA, the High Representative of Gaza and the Board of Peace, and constitutes a vital milestone for the decommissioning of weapons concurrently with the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of the International Stabilization Force, the transfer of the administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the reconstruction of Gaza as stipulated in the Comprehensive Plan, they pointed out. Rejecting the Road Map constitutes an explicit refusal to proceed with the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, and directly threatens to derail the extensive efforts exerted by US President Trump to bring an end to the war in Gaza and establish the conditions for lasting peace. In this regard, the ministers underscore the importance of sustained and active US engagement to ensure and enforce Israel’s full compliance with the commitments and arrangements envisaged under the Comprehensive Plan and its Road Map, and to prevent further obstruction of their implementation, the ministers said while emphasizing that Israel bears direct and full responsibility for any consequences resulting from its continued rejection, obstruction, delay or non-compliance, including any resulting deterioration of the situation on the ground and disruption of ending the war in Gaza. The ministers reaffirmed the urgent need for the full and immediate implementation of the Comprehensive Plan in order to address the grave humanitarian situation, ensure security and stability for all in Gaza, and pave the way for reconstruction and recovery and advancing a just and lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood in accordance with international law, thereby paving the way for security and stability for all countries and peoples of the region.They categorically rejected any attempt to deny or foreclose Palestinian statehood including through unilateral actions. A just, lasting and comprehensive peace only will be achieved by the implementation of two-state solution, by the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. Any attempt to deny or foreclose Palestinian statehood therefore directly undermines the prospects for peace, security and stability throughout the region. The ministers underscore the importance of the continued role of the Board of Peace and call all parties to support its efforts for the implementation of the Road Map and advancing the second phase of President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan. The ministers further called upon the Board of Peace, with the active support and engagement of the United States, to take immediate and concrete measures within its mandate to uphold the integrity of the Comprehensive Plan and prevent any party from obstructing its implementation.