Arab and Western countries are now working to find a solution to the Palestine issue.
But Israel, Iran and Hamas are not part of the talks.
– It is a kind of sting against Iran in the sense that there is a consensus here that what is happening in Gaza, in addition to being a bloodbath, strengthens Iran’s position, which works through Hamas and Hezbollah, and many Europeans are concerned of limiting Iran’s influence, says Espen Barth Eide.
The foreign minister was actually supposed to go home on Sunday, but tells VG on the phone from the capital Riyadh that they will stay one more day to arrange even more meetings.
The big joint meeting with all the countries has been pushed back one day. The aim is to achieve a peace agreement in Gaza, but also to lay the foundation for a two-state solution.
Such a plan must also contain security guarantees for Israel, a Palestinian state and normalization between the Arab states and Israel, says Barth Eide.
The initiatives for the meetings are from Norway and Saudi Arabia.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are traditionally seen as arch-rivals in the region and the two major powers in the Middle East fighting for regional dominance, and Iran is among Hamas’s most important supporters.
– At some point you have to talk to them too, but it’s not now.
In a future Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority (PA) will be central, says Barth Eide.
– But it is clear that those today called Hamas will also be there, in one role or another.
– Given that Israel is determined that a two-state solution is completely out of the question, that it will threaten their existence, how can you get them on board with such a proposal? It has been tried for many years.
– Sometimes peace has to be imposed, and when Israel was established by the UN, it was without negotiations with those who lived there before.
So Israel must at some point enter into this, says the foreign minister.
– We have tried just sitting quietly year after year and waiting for them to want to negotiate a balanced solution, we need stronger lye. I hope the Americans are also on board with that.
Then he points out:
– But we are not talking about physical force, but an understanding must be created that a different future is possible without waiting for a negotiated solution.
