Norway, allies working on concept for unified Palestinian government

A number of European states, “concerned” Arab countries and the United States are collaboratively developing a framework for a cohesive Palestinian government aimed at garnering reconstruction funds, said Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in an interview in Davos. “A number of countries are working with us… trying to build a broad unity government,” Reuters quoted Espen Barth Eide as saying, without naming the specific countries. Norway expressed the perspective that a unified Palestinian territory should be governed by the Palestinian Authority, emphasising that the ultimate decision must align with the wishes of the Palestinians. Norway played a facilitative role in the 1992-1993 negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), culminating in the Oslo Accords of 1993. Following the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority, established as a result, has limited self-rule in the West Bank and engaged in talks with Israel regarding a Palestinian state until the discussions collapsed in 2014. The Gaza Strip has been under the rule of the Islamist Hamas since 2007, and they are committed to the destruction of Israel. In the aftermath of the Oslo talks, Norway has chaired the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), a donor group coordinating international aid to the Palestinian territories. Norway has actively collaborated with others in attempts to revive diplomatic channels between Israel and the Palestinians. Barth Eide highlighted the increasing urgency of working towards a two-state solution, given the escalating conflict in the region. However, he noted that influencing Israel’s position lies primarily within the purview of the United States and the Israeli people. “What we can do is work on Palestinian unity, and think about models with interested countries,” Barth Eide said. Calls for a two-state solution have grown in the wake of attacks on Israel on 7 October in which Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, prompting an Israeli bombardment and ground offensive against Hamas-ruled Gaza in which health authorities in the territory say more than 24,000 people have been killed. A two-state agreement would create a state for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip alongside Israel. Israel has said a Palestinian state must be demilitarized so as not to threaten its security. With inputs from agencies