Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission (Reuters)
Middle East
While the Israeli position remains unchanged regarding the resumption of war in the Gaza Strip following the end of the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, the President of the European Commission has renewed his position on this issue.
Ursula von der Leyen stressed: “There is absolutely no possibility of Hamas returning to Gaza or becoming part of the authority responsible for managing the Strip.”
Palestinian Authority
In an interview with Politico magazine on Wednesday, he also said that Gaza is part of the territory of the Palestinian state, so only the Palestinian Authority should administer or govern it.
Furthermore, he believed that “the Palestinians and the Israelis have the opportunity of a lifetime to find a political solution to the long conflict between them,” stressing that “the two-state solution seems more likely now than it did before the war.” .
He said: “The time has come to finally resolve negotiations on some issues, such as the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem.”
Massive destruction in Gaza (Reuters)
Several options
Since last month, several European countries, as well as the United States, have started discussing post-war options and the question of governing the densely populated Palestinian Strip, in particular Israel’s determination to “crush” Hamas, as they have confirmed several times its officials. .
These countries have discussed several options, including the possibility of internationalizing the administration of the Strip and forming an international coalition to manage Gaza.
The issue of handing over power to the Palestinian Authority was also discussed, despite the latter’s refusal and reservations about this possibility, especially at this time when the Israeli war is still raging in Gaza.
He also presented the option of establishing a peacekeeping force similar to the one overseeing the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement, placing Gaza under temporary United Nations supervision, or even granting temporary supervision over it to countries in the region such as Egypt.
Several Israeli officials had repeatedly confirmed in the past that they did not intend to occupy Gaza, but at the same time stressed that they would not allow Hamas to continue to rule after the October 7 attack.