Report: France, Saudi Arabia working on plan to disarm Hamas

France and Saudi Arabia are working together on a plan to disarm Hamas, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Anonymous sources with knowledge of the discussions told Bloomberg that while the plans are intended to bring about Hamas’ disarmament, they would not remove Hamas as a political organization from Gaza.

Instead, Hamas would become a “purely political entity that can still play some role in future Palestinian governance,” as such an arrangement “would make it more likely” for Hamas “to accept disarming.”

“Saudi officials have been in contact with Hamas as part of its push, according to people briefed on the matter,” Bloomberg reported. “It’s unclear if French officials have also been talking to Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the European Union and US.”

The leadership of France and Saudi Arabia has repeatedly called for intensified efforts to advance a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The two nations are set to jointly lead a UN conference about the issue in June.

In a statement last month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The High-Level Conference in June, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is an important opportunity to revitalize international support” for a two-state solution, saying he encouraged UN member states “to think creatively about the concrete steps they will take to support a viable two-State solution before it is too late.”

France and Saudi efforts are in direct contrast to statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has promised that “all the territory of Gaza will be under Israeli security control, and Hamas will be totally defeated.”

He has also repeatedly opposed moving forward with a two-state solution, saying that granting a Palestinian state would be “a huge prize for terror.”