EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has presented a plan for the future of the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and the radical Islamic group Hamas. In it, Borrell called on Arab countries to play a greater role in a future Palestinian administration.
The international community has failed “politically and morally” to achieve a lasting solution to the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Borrell told journalists in Brussels last night. The time has come to intensify efforts to find a solution based on the existence of two States.
No forced expulsion, no return of Hamas
His plan can be boiled down to three yeses and three noes, Borrell added. There should be no forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, no permanent reoccupation by the Israeli military, no change in the size of the Gaza Strip and no return of Hamas.
There should be a “Palestinian Authority” defined and decided by the UN Security Council. Arab countries need to provide greater support to the Palestinian Authority and the EU must also become more involved in the region, especially in building a Palestinian State.