While indirect talks between Hamas and Israel on the implementation of the Trump plan accelerate in Egypt, the foreign ministers of European, Arab countries and the United States are meeting in Paris. The objective, explain French diplomatic sources, is to underline support for the American plan, “specify the methods of collective commitment”, and underline “the desire to work together to make the main parameters of the ‘day after’ the ceasefire in Gaza operational.
The topics on the table will be the International Stabilization Force (ISF), the transitional governance of the Strip, humanitarian aid and reconstruction, the disarmament of Hamas and support for the Palestinian National Authority and the Palestinian security forces, the same sources report. In addition to France and Saudi Arabia – promoters of the “New York Declaration” on the two-state solution last September – Italy, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the EU High Representative for Europe, Kaja Kallas, will take part in the meeting; Egypt, Qatar, the Emirates and Jordan for the Arab countries; then again, Indonesia, Canada and Türkiye who intend to actively participate in the stabilization mission in Gaza after the war. All in close connection with the United States and Israel itself.
In fact, American Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected in Paris. For Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will be present. When announcing the meeting in recent days – which will open in the afternoon – he declared that with the Trump plan “the light of hope has come on”. «Now – he explained – we will need to go into the details and see what can be done and what cannot be done. We strongly support” the Trump plan, “as all the other European countries are doing, I am thinking of Germany and France”. Italy has already given its willingness to contribute to the future International Stabilization Force envisaged by the plan and to send the Carabinieri.
Israel’s reaction
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sàar criticizes on does not damage critical negotiations for the release of hostages, as has happened in the past.” Saar also accuses France of “extraordinary hypocrisy” for its double standards on Ukraine and Israel.
According to the Israeli minister, the fact that the so-called New York Declaration, promoted by France and Saudi Arabia at the UN general assembly, receives recognition similar to the Trump plan “demonstrates an attempt to hinder its implementation”. Sàar then defined as “particularly provocative” the decision to invite governments “openly hostile to Israel, like that of Sánchez”, to discuss Israeli issues. “The participants can discuss what they want – added Sàar – but no agreement on Gaza can be reached without Israel’s consent”.
Concluding the post, he accused France of “extraordinary hypocrisy”, recalling that Paris had coined the principle ‘The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. “Another example of double standards – wrote the minister – reiterating: ‘Nothing about Israel without Israel. Israel will not accept the internationalization of the conflict.