Hamas rejects Netanyahu's call for a regional alliance with Arab states
Qassem says the proposed bloc serves ‘only the interests of the occupation’
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem on Sunday rejected remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlining a plan to form a broad regional alliance involving Israel and Arab countries, calling the proposal “a direct threat to their strategic interests.”
“What is happening is an attempt to reshape the region in a way that serves only the interests of the occupation. These moves are based on the weakness that afflicted Arab nations during the war in Gaza. We call on Arab states to recognize the danger of these schemes and their repercussions on the region's security and stability,” Qassem said.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu described a vision to create a new framework of alliances across the Middle East and beyond. “In the vision I see before me, we will create an entire system, essentially a ‘hexagon’ of alliances around or within the Middle East,” he said.
According to Netanyahu, the proposed alignment would include India, Arab nations, African nations, Mediterranean nations including Greece and Cyprus, and additional Asian countries. “The intention here is to create an axis of nations that see eye-to-eye on the reality, challenges, and goals against the radical axes, both the radical Shia axis, which we have struck very hard, and the emerging radical Sunni axis,” he said.
Qassem said Hamas views the proposal as harmful to regional interests and urged Arab governments to oppose it. The exchange highlights ongoing political tensions following the war in Gaza and differing visions for the region’s future alignment.