EU to Train 3,000 Palestinian Police
The European Union plans to train up to 3,000 Palestinian police officers outside Gaza as part of a post-ceasefire stabilisation effort, officials say. The proposal — to be discussed by EU foreign ministers alongside a Palestinian donor conference — is linked to a UN-backed plan that envisages international forces and newly trained Palestinian security personnel to help secure border areas.
The European Union is preparing a proposal to train as many as 3,000 Palestinian police officers to help stabilise Gaza if the current ceasefire holds, an EU official told reporters. The training would take place outside Gaza and would focus on officers who are not affiliated with Hamas, the official said.
The initiative follows a UN Security Council vote in favour of a US-drafted resolution tied to a plan that allows a fragile ceasefire to remain in place. That plan envisions an international force working with Israel and Egypt, together with newly trained Palestinian police, to secure border areas and assist in the demilitarisation of Gaza.
The EU has long provided policing assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Since 2006 the bloc has financed a police training mission in the occupied West Bank with a budget of roughly 13 million euros (about $15 million). Officials say around 7,000 police in Gaza remain on the PA payroll, though many have retired or are currently unable to serve; roughly 3,000 officers could realistically be brought into a new training programme.
EU foreign ministers are due to discuss the training proposal during meetings in Brussels, where the bloc will also host a Palestinian donor conference bringing together about 60 delegations, including several Arab states but not Israel. The donor meeting will review progress on reforms the EU has requested from the PA.
The bloc remains the PA’s main financial backer and has conditioned future aid on political and institutional reforms it views as essential to any two-state solution. The proposal comes amid divisions within the EU over the Gaza war, with member states split between stronger support for Israel and closer ties with the Palestinians.
EU officials say the training scheme is part of a broader effort to reclaim a stabilising role in the region and to ensure that any security architecture after a ceasefire includes accountable, non-militia police forces. For residents of the British Virgin Islands, the developments underline continuing international engagement in a conflict with broad humanitarian and regional consequences.
The BVI — as a British Overseas Territory — follows foreign policy positions set by the UK, which participates in wider international discussions. Local interest may focus on humanitarian needs, potential avenues for diaspora engagement, and the wider implications of regional stability for global shipping and humanitarian assistance routes.
EU ministers are expected to debate the training plan and donor pledges at the Brussels meetings, with any concrete programme contingent on security conditions, political agreement among EU states, and progress on PA reforms.
Primary source: VINO