UAE, Qatar join efforts to support Biden's Gaza proposal

The leaders of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates stressed during a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday the need to step up efforts to reach a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as the United States and mediators are pushing Israel and Hamas to agree to a new cease-fire proposal put forward by President Joe Biden.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also discussed Biden’s proposal for a Gaza hostage deal, the Emirati news agency reported.

The two leaders reportedly affirmed their support for “all concerted initiatives and efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation in the Gaza Strip, protecting the lives of all civilians and ending their suffering, and advancing efforts toward a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution that ensures the security and stability of the region.”

Hours before the meeting, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed hailed Biden’s proposal as “constructive” and “realistic,” saying both Israel and Hamas must seize the opportunity to end the war in Gaza, prevent more civilian deaths and free the hostages.

“There is no comprehensive solution except through peace and negotiations in accordance with the two-state solution,” Sheikh Abdullah wrote on X on Sunday. 

The Qatari emir arrived in the Emirati capital on Sunday accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Sunday's meeting also touched on Emirati-Qatari relations and ways to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields. 

Biden proposal for Gaza deal

Biden has laid out a three-phase plan he said was put forward by Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

According to the 4.5-page plan, both Israel and Hamas would pause the fighting for six weeks in the first phase, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from all populated areas in Gaza, and the Palestinian militant group would release the women, elderly and wounded hostages in return for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinians held in its jails.

During the third phase, a reconstruction plan for Gaza would begin, and Hamas would return the remaining hostages who died while in captivity.

While Hamas said it “views positively” the latest proposal, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed and all hostages are released.

An aide to Netanyahu said Sunday that while the deal was agreed to by Israel, “a lot of details” remain to be worked out. In an interview with the British Sunday Times, chief foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu Ophir Falk said Israel’s conditions of destroying Hamas and securing the release of the hostages have not changed.

Full-throttle diplomacy

In light of Israel’s position, Egypt, Qatar and the United States, which have been leading the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel since the war erupted last October, urged the warring sides to “finalize” an agreement that includes the principles outlined in Biden’s proposal.

“These principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families,” the three countries said in a joint statement released on Saturday. “This deal offers a road map for a permanent cease-fire and ending the crisis."

Meanwhile, Egypt and Qatar are reportedly in contact with the various Palestinian factions in order to reach a unified Palestinian position on the latest proposal.

Sources quoted by the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper on Monday said contacts took place in the past three days, during which Hamas demanded a written statement containing all the details of Biden’s plan as well as “clear guarantees” from the United States that it would ensure Israel will abide by the deal.

According to the same sources, the Egyptian leadership has asked Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to dispatch delegations to Cairo in the next two days to discuss the deal.

Blinken calls regional parties 

The mediators’ efforts coincided with a series of phone calls between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Friday and his Qatari, Egyptian and Emirati counterparts on Saturday to push for a deal on Gaza.

In his call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Blinken stressed the importance of achieving a complete cease-fire and securing the release of all hostages, stating, “The proposal is in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians,” according to a State Department readout.

Shoukry expressed Egypt’s support for all efforts to end the war in Gaza and reach a permanent cease-fire.

During his conversation with Blinken on Saturday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed said the mediators hope the concerned parties “would deal positively” with the principles outlined in Biden’s proposal, stressing that mediation efforts are continuing to reach a permanent cease-fire that would end the war in the Gaza Strip.

Similarly, the Emirati foreign minister also stressed the need “to deal seriously and positively” with Biden's proposal. The top diplomat called for building on the proposal in order to create “a serious political horizon” that would eventually lead to a comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Sheikh Abdullah praised the mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar and the United States and expressed the UAE’s support for all efforts to reach a cease-fire.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah expressed a similar position during his phone call with Blinken on Friday, reiterating his country’s support for mediation efforts and calling on all parties to “deal seriously” with any proposal that would result in an end of the hostilities and the suffering of Palestinian civilians.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reiterated the need to end the Israeli war on Gaza and called on the international community to push Israel to halt its offensive and abide by international law.

He told Blinken during their call on Friday that Jordan backs all efforts currently being deployed by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to reach a hostage deal as soon as possible.

More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its air and ground campaign in retaliation for Hamas’ cross-border assault Oct. 7. During their attack on southern Israel, Hamas militants killed nearly 1,200 people and took over 240 others hostage.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic proportions, according to United Nations agencies, as aid deliveries are hindered by the ongoing fighting and the closure of the border crossings.

Despite mounting pressure and outrage from rights groups, Israel has insisted on continuing the war until Hamas’ fighters and infrastructure are completely eliminated.