France, UK, Italy, and Germany support $53b plan for Gaza’s reconstruction after 15 months of war
Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom released a joint statement on Saturday, expressing their backing for the $53b plan for Gaza’s reconstruction.
“The plan presents a realistic path for Gaza’s reconstruction and promises, if implemented, a quick and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for Palestinians in Gaza,” the statement reads.
It also emphasizes that Hamas “must no longer govern Gaza or pose a threat to Israel” and that the four countries “support the central role of the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda”.
The plan, drafted by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders at an Arab League summit in Cairo, aims to reconstruct Gaza, ensure peace and security, and reinstate the Palestinian Authority’s governance in the territory.
Earlier on Saturday, the OIC formally adopted the plan at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, calling on the international community to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan.
The Arab-backed plan serves as a counterproposal to US President Trump’s suggestion to depopulate the Gaza Strip for its “development” under US control, which has been widely criticized as ethnic cleansing.
The plan consists of three main stages: Interim measures, reconstruction, and governance, spanning a total of around four to five years.
Although the Arab plan has garnered support from the OIC and European nations, it has faced criticism and rejection from the US and Israel. The plan “does not meet expectations” of the US, according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. However, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, called it a “good-faith first step from the Egyptians”.
