Germany European states welcome Gaza reconstruction plan without Hamas
The reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip drawn up by Arab countries has received support in Europe. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and the UK jointly declared that it sets out a realistic way to quickly and sustainably improve the catastrophic living conditions of around two million Palestinians in the coastal strip.
08.03.2025, 13:46
08.03.2025, 13:47
SDA
According to the ministers, this requires a solid framework that is acceptable to both Israel and the Palestinians and offers long-term peace and security. "We are clear that Hamas must neither rule Gaza nor pose a threat to Israel," it said. On the other hand, they expressly support a "central role" for the Palestinian Authority, which currently only governs the West Bank. In conclusion, the ministers warned: "We call on all parties to use the advantages of the plan as a starting point."
Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, wants to gain the broadest possible international support for the approximately 90-page plan and counter controversial proposals by US President Donald Trump. Trump had spoken of transforming the Gaza Strip into an economically flourishing "Riviera of the East" under US control and "resettling" the Palestinians living there to Arab states in the region.
Over a period of around five years, the Egyptian plan initially envisages the removal of rubble in Gaza and then the construction of temporary and permanent accommodation for the Palestinians living there. The costs are estimated at the equivalent of around 50 billion euros. Pledges of funding from Arab or other donor countries or international institutions are not yet known.
The paper mentions a Palestinian committee of technocrats that is to take control of the Gaza Strip during a six-month transitional phase. This is to take place under the "auspices" of the Palestinian government before the more moderate Palestinian Authority (PA) of President Mahmoud Abbas takes full control. This scenario has already been rejected by Israel on several occasions.
