Israel/Palestinian Territories – France’s contribution to the European EUBAM Rafah mission (31 Jan. 2025)

In a show of support for the ceasefire, this morning France deployed three gendarmes specialized in border policing to serve with the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah). The Mission has about 20 staffers, mostly Italian and Spanish. The teams will act as trusted third parties at the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt; they will also reinforce Palestinian Authority personnel at the crossing point, as several hundred civilians prepare to be evacuated from Gaza for the treatment of medical emergencies.

EUBAM Rafah is a civilian mission established in November 2005. It provides advice and technical assistance on integrated border management to personnel from the Palestinian General Administration for Borders and Crossings. On January 27, the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels decided to deploy specialized teams to Rafah at the request of the Palestinian Authority and Israel, with the agreement of Egypt.

France reaffirms its commitment to a lasting peace based on the two-State solution and reiterates its support for the Palestinian Authority, which must be able to govern throughout the Palestinian Territories, including Gaza. As President Macron announced during his State visit to Riyadh in late 2024, a conference on the implementation of the two-State solution co-chaired by Saudi Arabia will be held in New York this coming June.