France on Thursday hosts foreign ministers from Arab and European countries for talks on helping the Palestinians once the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas ends, a meeting that comes hours after the two sides agreed a ceasefire deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron will give an introductory address to the gathering from 1500 GMT, the presidency said, after hailing the ceasefire deal as providing “great hope” for the region.
Israel and Hamas earlier agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.
It is being seen as a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.
The deal brokered through indirect talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh came two years after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which triggered a relentless retaliatory assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza.
While Europe has strongly supported the ceasefire efforts spearheaded by President Donald Trump, Washington and several European countries are at odds over whether it is the right moment to recognise a Palestinian state.
Macron, in a September 22 speech at the United Nations, recognised a Palestinian state on the heels of similar announcements by Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
The Paris meeting brings together the top diplomats of five key Arab states — Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — with European counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Turkey and the European Union will also be represented.
Macron “will reiterate France’s constant mobilisation in favour of a comprehensive political solution by working to prepare for the ‘day after'”, the Elysee said in a statement, adding the president supported the full implementation of Trump’s peace plan.
– ‘Unnecessary and harmful’ –
Before the ceasefire deal was announced, the Paris meeting had angered Israel, further straining French-Israeli relations in the wake of Macron’s recognition of a Palestinian state, which infuriated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had in a message on X denounced the “unnecessary and harmful” meeting “concocted behind Israel’s back” at the sensitive moment of the negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.
But France is hoping that backing up its recognition of a Palestinian state can boost the prospects of a two-state solution, which Paris still regards as the sole prospect for long-term regional peace.
The agenda at the meeting includes the International Stabilisation Force evoked by Trump as part of his peace plan and support for the Palestinian Authority which runs the occupied West Bank, a French diplomatic source said this week, asking not to be named.
“It is essential to act together and get down to work,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
Berlin has repeatedly said it disagrees with the move by France and other European countries to recognise a Palestinian state now.
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