G7 foreign ministers discussed how to revitalise peace efforts in the Middle East and the “day after” in the Gaza Strip once the escalation there recedes as they met for a two-day summit in Tokyo, Reuters reports.
The subject was brought up during a working dinner late on Tuesday, host Japan said in a statement, with the Group of Seven (G7) due to continue talks today on the Israel-Gaza crisis, Russia’s war in Ukraine and issues related to China.
The statement gave no details of options being discussed if Hamas is ousted from Gaza as the result of an ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would seek to have security responsibility for Gaza “for an indefinite period” but Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told the Wall Street Journal that Israel wants the territory to be under an international coalition, including the US, European Union and Muslim-majority countries, or administered by local Gaza political leaders.
Discussions include the deployment of a multinational force to post-conflict Gaza, an interim Palestinian-led administration that would exclude Hamas politicians, a stopgap security and governance role for neighbouring Arab states and temporary UN supervision of the territory, Reuters reported this month.
