On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron echoed that statement after arriving in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where he was set to meet Arab and other European leaders to discuss the ceasefire deal. France will “work diplomatically” at U.N. headquarters in New York to “build the international framework” for a security force in Gaza, Macron said, adding: “France is ready and has begun planning.”
It’s far from clear, however, whether the Trump administration would support the U.N.’s involvement. Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan mentions no explicit role for the U.N. other than with regard to the distribution of aid. Rather, Trump’s plan calls for the creation of an “international stabilization force” involving Arab and international partners to be deployed in Gaza.
Sidelined Europeans
Experts said the French and German proposals show that European leaders, who were largely uninvolved in the negotiations leading to the cease-fire deal, are attempting to gain more say over how the deal is implemented, even if it comes primarily through their roles in the U.N.
“It’s somewhat of an attempt by the Europeans to get back into the game, because they’re actually standing pretty much on the sidelines,” said Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, a Middle East expert at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “The forces that actually have a say here are Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, which have been very heavily involved in this agreement, while Europe was not.”
The U.K. has not yet indicated whether it would back the Franco-German call for U.N. involvement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said the U.K. would “give our backing to the deployment of a ceasefire monitoring mission, an international security force, and the implementation of transitional governance arrangements in Gaza,” but did provide more specifics.
Both France and the U.K. are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council along with the U.S. Germany is seeking a seat as a non-permanent member in 2027.
