From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 17, 2025
EU set to tell Israel Gazans must return home, bloc will rebuild Strip
The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.
That echoes Arab positions but conflicts with US President Donald Trump’s stated aim for America to take over the Strip and rebuild it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” while Gazans emigrate to other nations.
The EU, which has been a major aid provider to Palestinians, is to outline its position to Israeli officials in talks in Brussels on February 24 as part of the EU-Israel Association Council, the first such session since 2022.
A document outlining the draft EU position emphasizes both Europe’s commitment to Israel’s security and its view that “displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza.”
“The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza,” it says, also calling for full humanitarian access.
“The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North.”
Israel launched the war against Hamas in Gaza after thousands of Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists committed the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel. The war has displaced Gaza’s population, especially those in the territory’s north where the vast majority of buildings were destroyed.
“The EU strongly opposes all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution,” the document adds, referring to its position that Palestinians should have an independent homeland alongside Israel.
