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Ministerial Meeting in Paris to Discuss Gaza's Future
On Thursday, a ministerial conference will be held in Paris, gathering foreign ministers from several European and Arab countries to discuss the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip and to work towards the "next day" after the end of the war. This comes amid recent recognition by Western countries of the Palestinian state, with the goal of establishing a joint plan to activate the role of the Palestinian state through mechanisms of collective commitment.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT), coinciding with a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II in Paris. Among the topics on the agenda are: international stability, transitional governance in Gaza, humanitarian aid, reconstruction, disarmament of Hamas, and support for the Palestinian Authority and its security forces.
While indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Egypt aim to reach a lasting ceasefire, the conference seeks to bolster support for the U.S. plans announced by President Donald Trump to end the conflict entering its third year. These plans include a ceasefire, the release of held hostages, openness to disarm Hamas, and engagement in a rebuilding plan for the strip.
The participants aim to demonstrate their readiness to collaborate to activate key standards for what is called the "next day," in cooperation with the United States, and to establish mechanisms of collective commitment to support the reconstruction process and stabilize Gaza.
The meeting includes foreign ministers from France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, as well as Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Canada, and Turkey, which has expressed interest in actively participating in Gaza’s stabilization after the ceasefire. An Italian diplomatic official told AFP that Italy is prepared to contribute to the reconstruction process and Palestinian unity, considering Trump's plan the most realistic option and worth supporting. The plan includes a ceasefire, hostage releases, troop withdrawals, disarmament of Hamas, and potentially deploying UN forces in Gaza and the West Bank to train police forces and support healthcare infrastructure.
