Nahost: Friedensrat: Gaza-Fahrplan als Ausweg aus Gewaltspirale

Nahost High Representative Nikolaj Mladenow stated that implementing the Gaza-Fahrplan is the only way to end the escalating violence in the region. He said, "Both Israelis and Gazans have a strong common interest in escaping this horrific spiral of violence that has caused so many lives to be lost and destruction on both sides."

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's earlier insistence that Israel would not carry out a withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed, and his rejection of an independent Palestinian state, Mladenow emphasized that Hamas must remain committed to the Gaza-Fahrplan. A US-mediated peace plan initiated at the beginning of the year led to the formation of an international "Board of Peace" to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza and the post-war order in the heavily damaged coastal area.

Under the plan, Israel and Hamas are supposed to cease hostilities, and a Palestinian interim administration backed by an international stabilization force would take control of administration and security. Mladenow stressed that the goal is to prevent Gaza from ever again posing a threat to Israel and to ensure the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, never repeats.

Verification of weapon handovers by the armed factions, including Hamas, would precede any Israeli troop withdrawal. Currently, Israel is only asked to refrain from penetrating Gaza beyond the so-called "yellow line" and to shoot only in cases of genuine threat. After a step-by-step and internationally verified handover of all weapons by Hamas sector by sector, Israel is expected to withdraw from Gaza "step by step, in phases, eventually to the Gaza border."

Mladenow warned that the destruction of all Hamas tunnels would take more than a decade at the current pace. Therefore, Israel needs the Board of Peace, as it can be executed much faster with its help. External experts with specialized equipment would be brought in to facilitate this process. The Gaza-Fahrplan is based on verification and step-by-step implementation rather than trust, according to Mladenow.