During an emergency summit of the Arab League in Cairo, President of the European Council António Costa affirmed that the European Union is “ready to provide concrete support” for the Gaza reconstruction plan that Egypt presented on Tuesday, 4 March.
“Together, we should implement this plan. Together, the European Union, its partners in the Arab world, and the international community”, declared Mr Costa.
“It is in difficult times that you can count on predictable and reliable partners and friends. The recent developments in the Middle East have made the Arab League and its members ever more relevant for the European Union”, he added.
On Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presented a reconstruction plan called ‘Gaza 2030’, which is divided into two phases spread over a five-year period, is funded up to $53 billion, and provides that Palestinians will remain in the territory they occupy.
Supported by the UN, the plan provides for the establishment of a temporary administrative committee in preparation for eventually returning governance to the Palestinian Authority.
“Our support to the Palestinian Authority is also steadfast. The European Union supports the reform agenda of the Palestinian Authority. It will play a crucial role in the governance of Gaza”, the president of the European Council emphasised before his Arab counterparts.
Furthermore, Mr Costa categorically rejected any attempt to make demographic or territorial changes to the Palestinian enclave, as US President Donald Trump had proposed a month earlier. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)