Dignitaries from more than 60 international delegations convened in Brussels on Thursday, November 20, 2025, to address the complex framework for postwar governance in the Gaza Strip. The assembly, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia under the auspices of the Palestine Donors Group (PDG), focused specifically on the mandated reform of the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the United Nations Security Council's adoption of a U.S.-drafted peace plan on Monday, November 17, 2025. The meeting, which included between 20 and 25 ministerial-level participants, deliberately excluded immediate financial reconstruction pledges, deferring that discussion to a subsequent event scheduled in Egypt.
The central agenda item involved implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which authorized the deployment of a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to secure Gaza and established milestones for the withdrawal of Israeli military forces. A key security component under review was the European Union’s proposal to train 3,000 Palestinian police officers to support territorial security. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot committed 100 French officers to this training effort, which is modeled after the existing EU program in the West Bank and could potentially draw from the approximately 7,000 Gazan police currently on the PA payroll. The U.S. plan envisions the ISF and these trained police assuming security responsibilities concurrently with the Israeli drawdown.
The European Union, the PA’s largest financial contributor, strongly linked its support to deep institutional reforms. EU officials, including Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, stressed the necessity of Palestinian leadership and ownership over the subsequent processes. Specific EU demands include the PA abolishing its 'martyrs' fund' and revising educational textbooks. Furthermore, the EU is seeking representation on the 'Board of Peace,' the transitional oversight body established by the UN resolution and chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, and desires PA personnel for the 'technocratic, apolitical committee' managing Gaza’s civil service.
The path forward remains complicated by divergent political stances. While the PA, which currently manages semi-autonomous areas in the West Bank, seeks a central role in postwar Gaza, the United States conditions its backing on the PA's successful reform. Conversely, Israel maintains its rejection of any PA involvement in the territory's future administration. Adding a security complication, the Hamas militant group has condemned the UN resolution, asserting it favors Israeli interests and refusing to disarm, which could lead to confrontation with the authorized ISF.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, who participated in the meeting following his March 24, 2025, discussion with Kallas regarding the PA's reform agenda, presented the administration's proposals. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remains the head of the PA. The PDG meeting, which spanned from 09:00 to 18:30 CET, included both a Senior Official Meeting and a Ministerial Segment, with EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica also in attendance. The resolution itself passed with 13 votes in favor, with China and the Russian Federation abstaining, granting the Board of Peace a mandate extending until December 31, 2027.