The Arabs Have Just Done Something Hugely Important

Their call on Hamas to disarm may finally enable an endgame in Gaza

For the first time in decades, the Arab world this week publicly aligned with Israel on a fundamental issue: that Hamas must not only hand over the reins of Gaza but disarm and disband as a militia. The importance of this development, coming now as Israel faces global ostracization, cannot be overstated. Benjamin Netanyahu must be forced to engage. It could be the key to a total turnaround.

In an unprecedented declaration issued Tuesday and backed by the 22-member Arab League, the entire European Union, and 17 additional countries, Arab states made clear that Hamas — not Israel, not the West — is now the primary obstacle to Palestinian freedom and regional stability. A key signatory was Qatar, Hamas’ erstwhile ally.

This breakthrough opens the door to an endgame in the Gaza tragedy: one where Hamas is finally gone, the Palestinian Authority reenters with regional international backing, and the war finally gives way to reconstruction and political progress. But it will only happen if this message is repeated, amplified, and operationalized — in Palestinian communities, on international stages, and with a financial roadmap that makes crystal clear the massive aid, legitimacy, and statehood roadmap that await if Hamas frees the remaining Israeli hostages and gets out of the way of the Palestinian people.

To unlock that path, a bulldozer of pressure will also be needed on Israel, especially from Donald Trump, whose unique leverage over Netanyahu must now be used to compel engagement. Because Netanyahu, driven by personal and political survival, will not move in good faith unless he is forced to. With elections slated for next year and the Gaza War opposed by almost 80 percent of Israelis, public opinion will also do its part.

The Declaration: A Turning Point

At a United Nations conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, a joint statement laid out an extraordinary new consensus: