The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Britain expressed support on Saturday for an Arab-backed plan aimed at the reconstruction of Gaza, which carries a $53 billion price tag, Reuters reported.
"The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the ministers stated in a joint declaration quoted in the report.
The proposal was formulated by Egypt and endorsed by Arab leaders on Tuesday and is meant to be an alternative to the plan floated by US President Donald Trump, who has put forward a vision to transform Gaza into a "Middle East Riviera."
Arab countries have rejected Trump’s plan due to the fact that it calls for the US to take over Gaza and relocate its residents to countries like Egypt and Jordan.
The Egyptian plan outlines the creation of an administrative committee made up of independent Palestinian Arab technocrats, who would be tasked with governing Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas. This committee would oversee the distribution of humanitarian aid and manage the region temporarily under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.
The joint statement from the European powers emphasized their commitment to collaborate with the Arab initiative. They also acknowledged the "important signal" sent by Arab states through the development of the plan.
The statement further clarified that Hamas "must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more" and reiterated the countries' backing for the central role of the Palestinian Authority, alongside its reform agenda.
The White House said after the plan was endorsed that it welcomes “input” from Arab nations who backed the Egyptian plan, but stressed that Washington insists that Hamas cannot remain in power.
On Thursday, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated that the Egyptian-led initiative does not align with the expectations set by Trump.
The plan "does not fulfill the requirements, the nature, of what President Trump was asking for," said Bruce, adding, "It does not meet the expectations."