France, Germany, Italy, and Britain support Arab Gaza reconstruction plan

08 Mar 2025 16:15
08 Mar 2025 16:20

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France, Germany, Italy, and Britain support Arab Gaza reconstruction plan

Photo: AFP

On Saturday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Britain expressed their support for an Arab-backed plan to rebuild Gaza, which is projected to cost $53 billion and aims to prevent the displacement of Palestinians from the enclave.

"The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises - if implemented - swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the ministers said in a joint statement, News.Az reports citing foreign media.

The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders on Tuesday, has been rejected by Israel and by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has presented his own vision to turn the Gaza Strip into a "Middle East Riviera".

The Egyptian proposal envisages the creation of an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza after the end of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip's affairs for a temporary period under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.

The statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday said they were "committed to working with the Arab initiative," and they appreciated the "important signal" the Arab states had sent by developing it.

The statement said Hamas "must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more" and that the four countries "support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda."

Their backing follows an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the 57-member body formally endorsed the plan and urged international donors to provide financial support.

Trump’s remarks about turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while forcibly relocating its Palestinian population triggered outrage. Under international law, the forced transfer of civilians in occupied territory is considered a crime against humanity.

News.Az