The Middle East Quartet, a working group on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict comprised of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, issued a statement on Thursday addressing the growing humanitarian crisis plaguing Gaza following conversations between envoys from the four players.
Notably, the statement omitted any reference to Israeli settlement activity – a rarity for the Quartet, which in its last report on the conflict offered detailed and scathing criticism of the government’s construction efforts.
An official familiar with its drafting told The Jerusalem Post that Thursday’s statement naturally focused on Gaza following recent meetings in New York between Egypt’s President Fattah el-Sisi and Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Those meetings centralised on Palestinian Authority efforts to reclaim control of the coastal strip from Hamas.
The Quartet encouraged efforts from Egypt and other regional powers “to create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza,” it said in a joint statement. “They urge the parties to take concrete steps to reunite Gaza and the West Bank under the legitimate Palestinian Authority.”
Reunification of the Palestinian territories under PA control “will facilitate lifting the closures of the crossings, while addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns, and unlock international support for Gaza’s growth, stability, and prosperity, which is critical for efforts to reach lasting peace,” they continue, calling on “the international community to act accordingly” in response to the “grave humanitarian challenge facing Gazans”.
