Israeli PM Netanyahu is not seeking peace in Gaza, says GCC Secretary General

Regional leaders know problem lies with Israel’s government, not its people, says Jasem Al Budaiwi

GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi has weighed in on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, saying he does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking peace.

“So far, [Netanyahu] has not been proven to really seek peace,” Mr Al Budaiwi told On The Record with Hadley Gamble. “He has proven that he is full of rage and anger.”

Mr Al Budaiwi was speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Gulf foreign ministers and global diplomats have gathered there to discuss key geostrategic challenges facing the world today, including the war in Gaza.

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“I hear so many ministers from countries that are involved being optimistic. They see something in these points that could be workable, that could be a solution,” Mr Al Budaiwi said. “The problem we have … will Israel? Will Benjamin Netanyahu accept these [points] and interpret them as everybody else interprets them? Or is he going to find his own definition?”

His comments came amid a growing consensus that a failure by Israel to properly engage in efforts to end the war in Gaza would result in an openly hostile Middle East.

“[Regional leaders] know now who is behind the real problem,” Mr Al Budaiwi said. “It's him [Netanyahu]. It's his government. It's not the Israeli people. It's this government that is not seeking peace.”

Pressed about the prospect of supporting peacekeeping measures in Gaza with troops in the enclave, as Mr Trump’s plan suggests, the GCC Secretary General was cautious. Gulf countries have committed their Peninsula Shield Force, a GCC-wide military arm, in the past, including in Kuwait in the 1990s and 2000s, and in Bahrain in 2011.

“I don't think it's an option for the time being to send forces, because it's just too complicated a situation,” Mr Al Budaiwi said.

“What is the mandate of the forces? What are the areas they will cover? Under whose leadership will the forces be? Will they be under a UN mission, or each country by itself? Who is in the mission? It's too complicated of a situation.”