DUBAI: International forces to be deployed in Gaza under the US-brokered ceasefire plan should ensure that Palestinians and Israelis do not pose a threat to each other, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told CNN.
Sheikh Mohammed added that the International Stabilization Force should have a clear mandate, which “we are working together with the United States in order to define.”
Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, he said: “When we are talking about international presence … there should be a defined mandate. And we are working together with the United States in order to define the mandate of the international forces. And basically, the international forces’ role should be securing the Palestinians and the Israelis that both of them … don’t pose a threat for each other.”
Under the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory.
Sheikh Mohammed also spoke about the recent truce violations in Gaza, which he said were “happening every day,” recalling the Jan. 25 ceasefire, which Israel was also accused of violating.
“A lot of Palestinians (were) being killed during that ceasefire,” he said.
“The violations are happening every day. And we have, like we have in the deconfliction room, the operation room that we did together with Egypt and the United States. We register everything over there.
“The attack was really disproportionate and was about to jeopardize the deal. But what we have seen, we have seen that, then both parties, we work together very closely with them in order to make sure that the ceasefire stay intact.”
Sheikh Mohammed reiterated Qatar’s support for the Palestinian Authority to be the “single agency” that presides over Gaza and the West Bank.
“Right now, there (are) ongoing talks between all the Palestinian factions, including Fatah and the PA, in order to make sure that this technocratic committee, it’s apolitical. It will take care of Gaza in this transition period, and it will be linked somehow to the Palestinian Authority … Once the reforms are in place, the Palestinian Authority should take over the governance in Gaza and the West Bank together,” he said.
“We cannot separate those two units. Those are one unit. Those are the future Palestinian state. Look, Fareed, whatever we do, whatever we say, there are wishful thinking from some politicians, maybe in Israel, that there are other solutions other than the two-state solution. There is no solution except the two-state solution. How can we figure out the formula where two people, they can live side by side together and feel safely?”
