BRUSSELS: The European Union wants to train up to 3,000 Palestinian police officers in the Gaza Strip under a scheme similar to one it already runs in the West Bank, an EU official said Wednesday.
There will be a “need to stabilise Gaza with an important police force” if the current ceasefire endures, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
The training would target officers still on the payroll of the Palestinian Authority but not affiliated with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Many of the approximately 7,000 PA-paid police in Gaza have retired or are unable to work, but about 3,000 could be trained under the proposed programme.
The training would take place outside of the Gaza Strip, according to the official.
The UN Security Council voted Monday in favour of a US-drafted resolution bolstering President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which has allowed a fragile ceasefire to hold between Israel and Hamas since October 10.
The peace plan authorises an international force to work with Israeli, Egyptian and newly-trained Palestinian police to secure border areas and demilitarise Gaza.
EU foreign ministers are due to discuss the training proposal during talks Thursday in Brussels.
The bloc will also host a Palestinian donor conference the same day, bringing together around 60 delegations including Arab states, though Israel will not attend.
The conference will allow participants to “take stock” of progress on reforms by the Palestinian Authority, the official said.
The EU is the PA’s main financial backer but has made future aid conditional on reforms it considers essential for a two-state solution.
The EU has financed a police training mission in the West Bank since 2006 with a budget of around EUR13 million.
The bloc has struggled to exert influence during the two-year war in Gaza due to internal splits between countries supporting Israel and those closer to the Palestinians.
