Key European Countries Back Arab Plan for Gaza Reconstruction
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy said on Saturday that they support the Arab proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, citing a joint statement by the four foreign ministers.
The Gaza reconstruction plan will cost $53 billion and will avoid the eviction of Palestinians from the enclave.
‘The plan demonstrates a realistic path to rebuilding Gaza and promises - if implemented - a rapid and sustainable improvement in the catastrophic living conditions of Palestinians living in Gaza,’ the statement said.
The plan was developed by Egypt and approved by Arab leaders. At the same time, Israel and US President Donald Trump rejected the proposal.
The Arab plan envisages the creation of an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats who will be entrusted with the management of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war between Israel and the Hamas group.
This committee will be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and the administration of the Gaza Strip during an interim period under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.
In a statement, the four foreign ministers said they were ‘committed to working with the Arab initiative’ and appreciated the ‘important signal’ sent by the Arab states by developing a plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.
The ministers added that Hamas ‘should no longer rule Gaza and pose a threat to Israel’ and that the four countries ‘support the central role of the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform programme’.
As The Gaze reported, in 2024, the leaders of Norway, Ireland and Spain announced that their countries would recognise the Palestinian state.