PA should control Gaza without armed groups – Jordan FM
Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, has said to a panel discussion at Davos on January 22nd that no armed groups should be in operation in post-war Gaza outside of the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Safadi said should take control over the enclave, The National reported.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Safadi said that the PA “should exclusively control matters of war and peace, with no armed groups operating outside its authority.” Safadi said a two-state solution was the only means to avoid the continuation of ongoing violence in the region, calling for all parties to make sure that the ceasefire holds together.
Safadi added that creating a sovereign independent state for Palestinians is the sole way of attaining a fair and holistic sense of peace. Safadi also said that Gaza and the West Bank should be a single entity, while the security of Israel should be assured.
Safadi mentioned that Gaza is a “wasteland” and called on the global community to urgently and generously give humanitarian aid to all parts of the enclave.
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Safadi also said: “Priority number one is to get the ceasefire to hold, then we need to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid immediately … then we can start talking about reconstruction.”
During 15 months of war in Gaza, Over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed and over twice that amount have suffered injuries, Gaza’s health authorities have said.
The ceasefire has been in effect since January 19th, following over a year of negotiations which have been mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
The conflict has caused the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people to suffer displacement, while large areas dominated with buildings have now been reduced to rubble.
Safadi also said Lebanon and its institutions should be given support, as the country returns to its normal state since the war with Israel and that Syrians should receive support to create a free, cohesive and sovereign country after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.
Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, said that the Gaza strip must be governed entirely by the PA in the future during a conference in Norway on January 15th, according to Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters. Mustafa asserted that “it will not be acceptable” for any other entity to have control over Gaza.
The PA ordered the suspension of Al Jazeera broadcasts, accusing the network of incitement on January 2nd, according to Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters.
The National, Asharq Al-Awsat via Reuters
