In a landmark development, the Arab League, for the first time in its history, publicly condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israeli civilians.
This declaration marked a radical departure: rather than expressing sympathy or neutrality, all 22 member states joined with the European Union and seventeen additional countries to denounce the massacre and call for its perpetrators to disarm.
The statement explicitly labeled the attacks as terrorism and demanded immediate accountability and cessation of all violence targeting civilians.
Senior Arab officials framed this as a moral and strategic turning point. The condemnation underscores a growing consensus among regional governments that only by severing ties with Hamas’s violent methods could a viable path toward Palestinian statehood emerge.
The unprecedented nature of this step cannot be overstated, it is the first time the entire Arab League has united in naming and denouncing Hamas directly for October 7.
The Call for Disarmament
Accompanying the condemnation was a bold demand: Hamas must disarm, relinquish its rule over Gaza, and hand authority to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The declaration emphasizes that weaponry and governance in Gaza “must lie solely with the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate international support,” including potential deployment of a UN stabilization mission.
The text insists that this transition is essential to ending the war in Gaza, stabilizing the enclave, and allowing Palestinian territory to move closer to independence and international recognition.
The Arab League and partner nations envision a PA‑led Gaza, undergirded by technocratic administration and supported by international actors, replacing Hamas’s parallel government structure.
The Role of the Palestinian Authority
The declaration envisions a transitional phase during which the PA reclaims control over Gaza. Arab states backed plans, first floated at an Arab League summit, to establish a technocratic administrative committee to oversee Gaza, ideally paving the way for full PA governance.
The reconstruction plan endorsed at the summit proposed training Palestinian security forces, with former Fatah cadres taking leadership roles, guided by Egyptian and Jordanian oversight.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the plan, declaring readiness to restructure institutions, hold elections when feasible, and unify governance under “one rule, one regime and one arm” across the West Bank and Gaza.
At the same time, external support, particularly from the UN and donor states, would be crucial to enable such a transition.
Two-State Solution
Integral to the Arab League declaration is firm endorsement of a two‑state solution: an independent, sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel, based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Arab states reaffirmed earlier positions and aligned publicly with dozens of UN member countries, calling for Israel to commit to this political horizon as part of ending the violence and occupation.
Implications and Challenges Ahead
This Arab League statement is ambitious, but its implementation will face major hurdles. Hamas has already indicated its resistance to any plan that excludes it from governance, and it has not signaled willingness to disarm or step down in Gaza.
Likewise, Israel would ultimately reject a PA role and continues military operations that complicate political transition.
Moreover, international acceptance is uneven: some European nations, like France and the UK, are supportive or even threatening unilateral recognition of Palestine; others remain cautious.
Funding and logistical details of Gaza reconstruction, including UN peacekeeper deployment, remain unresolved.
A New Arab Consensus
In conclusion, the Arab League’s first-ever condemnation of the October 7 massacre signals a decisive shift in regional diplomacy.
By demanding that Hamas disarm and transfer Gaza’s governance to the Palestinian Authority, Arab states are aligning behind a political, nonviolent path toward Palestinian self-determination.
Their call reinforces the two‑state framework as the only viable long‑term solution, and offers a new roadmap, if accepted, to move from war and division toward international recognition and peace.
