Israeli and Palestinian groups press G7 for Gaza action ahead of Évian summit
Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups have met in Paris to urge G7 leaders to take action on Gaza at next week's summit in Évian-les-Bains. The groups called for a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and the start of reconstruction in Gaza. They also said the various peace efforts should be brought together into a single programme.
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The Paris meeting drew up proposals from five working groups and brought together as many as 150 activists from across the Israeli-Palestinian divide. In a joint statement, the groups said Gaza was devastated and Israel remained under threat. They also said settler violence, settlement expansion, de facto annexation and threats to the Palestinian Authority were undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state.
The appeal comes as progress on Palestinian self-rule and an Israeli exit from Gaza has been stalled for six months. The groups said the window for a solution remains open but is narrowing, and warned that talks on Gaza could be pushed aside at the G7 summit. The meeting in Paris was attended by Arab and European foreign ministers, including the EU foreign policy chief, as part of efforts to link civil society work with wider diplomacy.
The intervention is significant because it comes just days before leaders of the world's major advanced economies gather in France, where Gaza is expected to be one of the issues under discussion. The groups are pressing for a unified approach that would connect ceasefire efforts, post-war reconstruction and longer-term political talks. Their message also reflects concern that separate diplomatic tracks are not producing movement on the core issues.
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The civil society push is taking place against the backdrop of Donald Trump's 20-point plan, which has been cited in recent peace discussions. According to the groups, each side has blamed the other for failing to take the steps required for peace. A meeting of Palestinian groups in Cairo this week made only limited progress in persuading Hamas to lay down its remaining heavy weaponry to an unspecified Palestinian organisation.
What remains unclear is whether the G7 will issue any joint statement on Gaza, with prospects described as very limited. It is also not clear whether the Paris proposals will shape the summit agenda or lead to any concrete diplomatic move. The next key point to watch is whether leaders in Évian-les-Bains take up the call for a single peace framework and whether any further talks follow on reconstruction, disarmament and Palestinian self-rule.
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