Following a UN Security Council meeting, European nations declared that Palestinian militant group Hamas should play no role in governing the Gaza Strip. The meeting focused on a reconstruction plan proposed by Arab countries, advocating for Gaza to be managed by the Palestinian Authority instead. French diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari emphasized the need for a strategy that ensures Israel’s security while not displacing Palestinians. The Arab League plans to unify Palestinian factions under the Palestine Liberation Organization, excluding Hamas. Dharmadhikari also urged Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza, a point he deemed “non-negotiable.”
United Nations:
A coalition of European nations declared on Wednesday, following a meeting of the UN Security Council regarding the future of Gaza, that Palestinian militant group Hamas should have no involvement in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting addressed a proposal approved on Tuesday by Arab nations aimed at rebuilding Gaza and assigning control to the Palestinian Authority, presenting an alternative to President Donald Trump’s initiative for the United States to manage the territory and resettle its inhabitants.
Despite this, Hamas continues to govern Gaza, which has suffered significant devastation from conflict since the group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Representing France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia, French diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari emphasized that any final plan should prevent Hamas from continuing its governance of Gaza and ensure that the Palestinian population remains in place.
“Our position is clear: any plan must exclude Hamas, prioritize Israel’s security, and protect the Palestinians living in Gaza,” said Dharmadhikari, France’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.
He further stated that the plan should “promote unity between the West Bank and Gaza under the mandate of the Palestinian Authority,” referencing the governing body in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is led by Fatah, political rivals of Hamas.
Arab League countries convened in Cairo on Tuesday, advocating for the unification of Palestinians under the Palestine Liberation Organization, which excludes Hamas.
Dharmadhikari noted that European nations are prepared to assist and advance these proposals.
He additionally urged Israel to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza immediately and on a large scale, asserting that this was a “non-negotiable” requirement.
On Sunday, Israel announced it would be restricting aid deliveries to Gaza until Hamas agrees to its conditions for an extension of the fragile ceasefire that began on January 19.
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