Jordan, Egypt say Hamas can’t be eliminated, Israeli occupation cause of conflict

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) – The top diplomats of Jordan and Egypt said Monday that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas can’t be eliminated amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas is an idea that can’t be eliminated,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia.

He said that the Palestinian group did not ignite the current conflict in Gaza.

“The problem did not start on Oct. 7, but it was the result of 70 years of Israeli occupation, which refused to recognize the rights of the Palestinians,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue a deadly offensive on Gaza until Hamas is annihilated from the enclave.

Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have been killed and 76,600 others injured in the Israeli onslaught, which Tel Aviv launched following a Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Everyone wants peace based on a two-state solution,” Safadi said. “Israel must declare its commitment to a just and comprehensive peace, but it is clear that Netanyahu does not want peace.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, for his part, said Hamas leaders have signaled readiness to abandon armed resistance “if there is a clear commitment to establishing a Palestinian state.”

“The armed struggle and resistance to occupation are legitimate, and as long as there is occupation there will be a justification for resisting it under international law,” he told the panel.

The top diplomat called for setting the conditions “that lead to Hamas being a partner in the [political] process and participating in establishing the Palestinian state.”

“Palestinian voters are entrusted with determining the role that Hamas can play,” he added.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar