Following Israel’s latest rejection of a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Germany’s Federal Minister of Development, Reem Alabali Radovan (SPD), has urged all involved parties to implement the Gaza peace plan. Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group, Radovan stated that the critical next step is ensuring everyone adheres to the Gaza peace plan and the UN Security Council resolution, thereby contributing to an end to violence in Gaza. She emphasized that Hamas must disarm and Israel must withdraw according to the agreed terms; only by doing so can the violence be permanently stopped and the situation for the people in Gaza improved.
This call follows Israel’s refusal of the Gaza Peace Council’s roadmap, which called for the disarming of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas and Israel’s subsequent retreat from the Gaza Strip. Following a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu declared, “Israel rejects the 15-point document. The Israeli army will make no withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.” He specifically referred to all types of weapons, not just heavy weaponry, and simultaneously reaffirmed his opposition to an independent Palestinian state.
The plan referenced by Alabali Radovan mirrors an earlier agreement announced by US President Donald Trump in late July, which involved Hamas and its allies in Gaza disarming and the Israeli army withdrawing. Trump had hailed the plan, which was backed by his “Peace Council,” as a “milestone.” Radovan insisted that a peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict could only proceed if Hamas disarmed and Israel withdrew as agreed, an eventual outcome which must include a two-state solution encompassing Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Furthermore, the Minister added, “Germany stands ready to support this path and participate in the reconstruction of Gaza.”
