Abdul Aati: Trump's plan stipulates the restriction of Palestinian weapons, not their removal, and Israel is the reason for the agreement's stagnation

SadaNews - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Badr Abdul Aati, held Israel responsible for the stagnation of the transition to the second phase of the Gaza agreement during his remarks this Thursday evening.

Abdul Aati stated in comments to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, which is affiliated with Saudi Arabia, that "communications are ongoing with the American side to convey the Egyptian vision regarding the transitional entities, primarily the Peace Council and the Stability Force," emphasizing Cairo's position that the Stability Force should be "a peacekeeping force, not a peace-enforcing one." He discussed the restriction of weapons in Gaza, not their removal.

He said: "The matter is linked to cooperation and commitment from the Israeli side with President Trump's plan, which is a clear plan where the first phase has been fully implemented, except for one body that is being searched for amid thousands of tons of debris and explosives left by the Israeli aggression on Gaza. We count on the American role and Trump's leadership to work on enforcing the plan and moving to the second phase. Despite all the ongoing daily Israeli violations, we must reaffirm the necessity of solidifying the ceasefire agreement and moving forward with implementing the second phase in all its requirements, including redeployment and the Israeli withdrawal from within the Gaza Strip, in accordance with the plan and also in accordance with the provisions of Security Council Resolution 2803. We currently refer to the temporary transitional entities stipulated in the Security Council resolution, whether related to the Peace Council or the International Stability Force or the Palestinian Administrative Committee. We are ready, and there must be pressure to enter into the second phase and work on its implementation.

He pointed out that Egypt and the mediators are in constant communication with the American side, especially since the United States is fully concerned with putting Trump's plan into action on the ground.

He added: "Communications are ongoing with the American side at all levels, political, security, and intelligence, to smooth out any existing problems. Egypt, as an Arab and Islamic country and one of the eight nations that met with the American president in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and supported his vision, has a vision that aligns with the Arab and Islamic vision, especially concerning these temporary transitional frameworks, and we interact and dialogue positively with the American side.

He continued: "We convey our vision that the 'Peace Council' is extremely important and must be established, and its powers must focus on mobilizing and gathering financial resources for the development, reconstruction, and early recovery of Gaza, as well as monitoring the disbursement of reconstruction funds. If there is a fund that will be launched by the World Bank for this purpose, it must be under the auspices and supervision of this council.

Regarding the International Stability Force, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said: "We are engaged in serious and positive dialogue with the American side; this force must focus on peacekeeping rather than peace enforcement, and there is a vast difference between the two. Peacekeeping means focusing on monitoring the commitment of both parties to the ceasefire, in addition to helping operate the crossings. However, enforcing the law or establishing internal public order are inherent powers of the Palestinian police that must be deployed within the Gaza Strip. Alongside this, Egypt emphasizes the necessity of forming a non-factional committee, the 'technocratic' committee, to manage daily affairs in the sector. Egypt has provided a list of 15 names that have consensus among the factions.

He affirmed that Egypt supports the formation of international forces, and there are various frameworks to provide logistical and technical support to this force. Certainly, we are involved in command and control operations, and Egypt is present in the 'Civil-Military Committee' in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel, which was formed to follow up on the implementation of the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement.

Regarding disarming Hamas, Abdul Aati said: "Trump's plan talks about restricting weapons and handing them over, not disarming. These matters will be agreed upon between the Palestinian factions. I believe that there is potential within the framework of understanding between the factions to reach a formula that includes the gradual handover of weapons within the Palestinian-Palestinian context.

Concerning the reconstruction of the sector, Abdul Aati said: "There is complete coordination with the American side on a political level. I recently spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and also with Jared Kushner. There is an extended dialogue in which we convey our vision regarding the place and timing of holding the conference and benefiting from the current momentum.

He pointed out that so far no date has been set, but we are engaged in dialogue with the American side to determine it.