‘Ensure Israel’s Security’: European Nations Reject Hamas Role in Any Plan for Gaza

Latest Developments

French Diplomat on Hamas’s Future Role: European states serving on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) — permanent members France and the United Kingdom along with non-permanent members Greece, Slovenia, and Denmark — stated their objection to any role for Hamas in the future governance of the Gaza Strip. Following a UNSC meeting on the future of Gaza on March 5, the deputy permanent representative of France, Jay Dharmadhikari, underlined that “we are clear that any plan” for Gaza “must have no role for Hamas, must ensure Israel’s security,” and “must not displace Palestinians from Gaza.”
Push for Unity of West Bank and Gazan Governance: Dharmadhikari explained that a viable plan should “support the unity of the West Bank and Gaza under the Palestinian Authority’s mandate.” European nations are ready to move forward with this framework, he added. The UNSC meeting came on the heels of the March 4 Arab League summit in Cairo where representatives endorsed Egypt’s five-year plan to rebuild Gaza without resettling its residents.
Arab Plan Doesn’t Address Hamas Disarmament: Egypt’s plan — which was welcomed by Hamas — came as a direct counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which calls for incentivizing residents to be resettled outside the coastal enclave while the United States oversees its reconstruction. The Arab League-endorsed Egyptian plan, however, failed to clarify whether Hamas and allied groups would be disarmed, contributing to Washington’s outright rejection of the proposal. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas leader, said that any talk of disarming the Iran-backed organization is “nonsense.”

FDD Expert Response

“Every Israel-Gaza war over the past 17 years has ended with a bruised Hamas retaining power. The current trajectory indicates more of the same, but it is clear that Israel can no longer tolerate a genocidal terrorist group on its border. Strong statements against Hamas are nice, but only outside-the-box thinking and allowing Israel to complete its mission will lead to Hamas’s eradication. These statements from Europe are even less meaningful given that several European countries have actively worked to prevent Israel from defeating Hamas.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“It’s encouraging that the European member states of the Security Council, both permanent and non-permanent, have formally acknowledged that Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza. But the proposal to unify Gaza and the West Bank under Palestinian Authority control is deeply problematic given the PA’s endemic corruption and its complicity in terrorism. This is a situation that requires novel thinking, not tired formulae: the Europeans have belatedly realized that with regard to Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East requires no less.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director