The issue of Hamas disarmament in the context of the settlement of the Gaza conflict is not a priority; border security must be guaranteed for both sides first. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated this at the Doha Forum.
„Disarmament cannot be our first priority in the settlement process. We must act in stages. We must be realistic if we really want to succeed. We need an international stabilization force to be deployed on the border between the Palestinians and the Israelis in Gaza. "We need to include in this the Palestinian police force, which will take over the functions of Hamas," he said.
Furthermore, he said, "we need to ensure the free flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza." "We need to allow normal life to return, give hope to the people, and then we can start looking at disarmament." We will have an international force, a police force, not affiliated with Hamas. And most importantly, regional countries and countries that have signed the agreements from Gaza to Sharm el-Sheikh, members of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, will monitor Israel's strict compliance with the agreement, Fidan noted.
He did not rule out the possibility that “Hamas and any other Palestinian structures may deviate from the peace plan, but for now all parties are complying with it“. “They all understand the seriousness of the problem. Hamas has almost completely fulfilled what was required of them,“ the minister said.
Fidan added that external intervention in the situation in Gaza may be necessary to avoid the risk of the agreements failing, as well as to move to the second stage of the settlement.