France will co-host an international conference on the reconstruction of Gaza with Egypt and work with partners to establish a UN-mandated stabilization force, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Addressing the National Assembly, Jean-Noel Barrot described the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel reached last week as an “important step” but warned that “it remains fragile.”
“It is not peace yet,” he stressed.
He said the recent meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, attended by President Emmanuel Macron, was crucial “for coordination with European countries, Arab countries that want to play a full role in this building of lasting peace in the region.”
Outlining France’s three main priorities, Barrot said the first was humanitarian aid and reconstruction.
“We must flood the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid. We must now begin reconstruction work,” he said, announcing that France and Egypt would co-host a conference dedicated to the reconstruction of Gaza.
The second priority, he said, is security, with an emphasis on protecting civilians.
“We must ensure security, and in particular the security of the people of Gaza. That is why France, together with the United States, will present to the United Nations Security Council a resolution on an international stabilization force that will be able to operate in Gaza very soon,” he said.
The third pillar, Barrot said, is the governance of Gaza, in which “we want the Palestinians to be able to find their full place, and in particular a reformed Palestinian Authority.”
