The full and verifiable implementation of the US-backed plan for the Gaza Strip is the only way to ensure that an attack like the one by "Hamas" against Israel on October 7, 2023, will not be repeated. This was stated by the Bulgarian diplomat and High Representative for Gaza in the Peace Council, Nikolay Mladenov, in an interview with Israel's Channel 12.
The interview was broadcast hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was rejecting the proposed roadmap for implementing the next stage of the peace plan for Gaza.
"The option we are proposing today is the only way forward that guarantees that this tragedy will not be repeated," Mladenov said.
He tried to dispel concerns in Israel that the implementation of the plan could lead to the withdrawal of Israeli forces without "Hamas" actually handing over its weapons. According to him, the disarmament mechanism is not based on trust in the Islamist organization, but on verifiable actions on the ground.
"Nobody is obliged to do anything - least of all Israel - before we actually have verified steps on the ground," Mladenov said. According to him, the Israeli withdrawal should be tied to real and verified progress on disarmament.
Mladenov stressed that the goal is to create a system in which the implementation of commitments can be independently verified, instead of Israel being forced to rely on promises from "Hamas". He defended the proposed roadmap as a practical way to reconcile Israeli security demands with the gradual implementation of other parts of the agreement.
His statement comes amid an open disagreement between Netanyahu and the administration of US President Donald Trump over how the peace process should proceed.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would not accept the proposed roadmap and would not withdraw its forces from Gaza until Hamas was completely disarmed. The main dispute is over the sequence of actions - when the Israeli withdrawal should begin and at what stage of the process of disarming "Hamas".
However, Mladenov insisted that the Peace Council proposal specifically provides for a verification of implementation and that Israel will not be obliged to take irreversible actions before there is proven progress on the ground.
The Bulgarian diplomat also met with Netanyahu last week. According to Israeli media, during the talks, Mladenov called on the Israeli prime minister to stop the strikes on Gaza in accordance with the commitments made by Israel under the Trump peace plan.
Mladenov, who was previously Bulgarian Foreign Minister and UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, is currently the High Representative for Gaza in the Peace Council established at the initiative of Trump and has a key role in the practical implementation of the agreements on the future governance, security and reconstruction of the Palestinian territory.