France and Saudi Arabia are working together on a proposal to disarm Hamas, which would allow the group to evolve into a solely political organization, based on information from sources familiar with the talks, according to Bloomberg.
France and Saudi Arabia drafting proposal to disarm Hamas, report says
Photo: AFP
According to the report, Saudi officials are in contact with Hamas regarding the initiative. It is unclear whether French officials are also directly engaging with representatives of the group, which is designated a terrorist organization by both the European Union and the United States.
The report follows a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris.
The current objective, the sources said, is to reshape Hamas into a political body that could potentially play some role in a future Palestinian government. They believe that if Hamas is allowed to retain a degree of political influence, it may be more willing to agree to give up its weapons.
Israel is expected to oppose the Franco-Saudi proposal, as it has consistently maintained that Hamas must not retain any political power in Gaza after the war.
The report comes ahead of a peace conference being organized by President Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, scheduled to take place at the United Nations on June 17. In preparation for the summit, France has been pressuring several Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state and to announce such recognition at the conference.
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