The number one, most urgent objective remains the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And this is what Arab leaders are working on. But the final objective, shared by the international community, is creation of a Palestinian state that can pacify the region recognizing the rights of some without denying Israel's right to exist.
For this purpose, Jordan's King Abdullah II brought together Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, one of the main mediators in the region, in Aqaba, in the south of the country. And then also the president of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas to hear from him what he thinks reform the PNA by imagining its role in the Gaza Strip in the future. The enclave has been under the control of Hamas since 2007, but the ongoing war has the objective, repeatedly declared by Israel in no uncertain terms, to take away not only the group's military power, but also its political and administrative power.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Abbas the same question, on his fourth tour of the region since the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli retaliation. Because if the only way to achieve peace is through the creation of a Palestinian state, the question to ask is how this state will be governed. Blinken said it clearly during a press conference in Tel Aviv, anticipating the topic he would discuss with Abbas: “The PNA must be reformed, its governance must be improved”.
The US mission
On his seven-day tour, in which he planned to visit nine countries, Blinken added a surprise visit to Bahrain to meet King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and also discuss with him the steps to be taken to avoid an escalation of the conflict. Because the more Arab leaders are committed to this goal, the greater the chance of achieving it.
Even Saudi Arabia, which in the aftermath of Israel's retaliation in the Gaza Strip had frozen the normalization process with the Jewish state, is now putting it back into play. As Riyadh's ambassador to London, Khalid bin Bandar, explained, theSaudi Arabia it is indeed ready to evaluate the possibility of establishing relations with Israel as long as the agreement to end the war provides for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
The role of intelligence
Meanwhile, beyond official diplomacy, there is an ongoing intelligence work, this time with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to put an end to the ongoing conflict. Egyptian intelligence has entered the field and is discussing a possible resumption of negotiations with the Gaza leadership which, in exchange for the halting of Israeli raids, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of a greater number of humanitarian aid, would lead to the release of the hostages still in the Palestinian enclave. Qatar is also involved in the discussions, which continues its mediation work and shares the need for a delegation from Hamas and Islamic Jihad to go to Cairo to discuss the Egyptian proposal. So far, however, Cairo intelligence sources have explained, the conditions are not good. Hamas remains firm on its demands and slams the door on any initiative different. And this is why, at the moment, the Cairo meeting remains without a certain date. To establish it, it will be necessary to mediate further and for the Egyptians to develop a proposal that comes closer to Hamas' requests.
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