France, Germany, Italy, UK hail Arab-backed Gaza plan

France, Germany, Italy and the UK said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.

The plan would cost $53 billion (€50.5 billion) and avoid displacing Palestinians from the territory.

"The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises — if implemented — swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza," the foreign ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement.

Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed the post-war plan, which was put forward by Egypt, to rebuild the Paelstinian enclave.

The Arab Summit in Cairo took place after US President Donald Trump floated a widely condemned proposal to turn the Gaza Strip into what he called the "Riviera of the Middle East" and displace its residents.

Arab plan welcomed by Europe, rejected by the US

Earlier this week, the Trump administration dismissed the $53 billion counter proposal after it was adopted.

The White House said it stood by Trump's vision, with National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes commenting late Tuesday that "the current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable."

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the four European countries stressed the importance of recovery and reconstruction efforts built on a framework that "provides long-term peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians alike."

What's in the Arab plan to rebuild Gaza?

The phased reconstruction plan consists of three major stages over five years.

An initial six-month recovery phase is aimed at removing debris, de-mining and building temporary housing.

In the first phase, the plan calls for the building of 200,000 housing units in Gaza over the next two years. A second stage will see 200,000 more housing units.

By 2030, the plan foresees hundreds of thousands of new homes housing up to 3 million people as well as an airport, industrial zones, hotels and parks.

Under its proposal, Gaza would be governed by a reformed Palestinian Authority.

"We explicitly support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda," according to the statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday.

France, Germany, Italy and the UK also supported the call for the removal of Hamas, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States and the European Union.

"Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel anymore," the joint statement said.

Edited by Kieran Burke