Briefing to the Security Council on AHLC

Speech/statement | Date: 28/04/2026 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs

By Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide

Briefing to the Security Council on the Ad Hoc Liason Committee on Palestine by Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Check Against Delivery

I would like to thank the Security Council and its Presidency, the Kingdom of Bahrain, for allowing me to brief the Council today, in my capacity as Chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

Ever since the AHLC was established in 1993, the Committee has brought together the parties to the conflict, the key donor countries, and international organisations with expertise in the Palestinian economy. Its ultimate aim is to achieve self-determination for the Palestinian people within a two-state solution with security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The AHLC met again on Monday 20 April. I believe this meeting produced some positive developments which I am very pleased to share with the Security Council.

President,
Resolution 2803, adopted by this Council on the 18 November 2025, endorsed President Trump's 20-point peace plan to end the Gaza conflict and create a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood.

The peace plan and the resolution offered new dynamics. The ceasefire in Gaza significantly reduced civilian casualties after years of suffering. Living and diseased hostages finally returned home to Israel. The resolution also authorized a new transitional institutional architecture. It is vital that we do not lose this momentum.

Last week the AHLC brought together key stakeholders, first and foremost Palestine, represented by their Prime Minister - but also the Board of Peace as a special guest - for an important conversation in Brussels, co-hosted by the EU. On our agenda: how to implement the 20-point plan and improve the situation on the ground in Palestine.

One objective of our meeting was to establish a link between the new, temporary structures under resolution 2803, and pre-existing, established structures, and to consolidate alignment around unified coordination mechanisms.

This is essential in order to speed up implementation on the ground, to mobilise donors for early recovery in Gaza and to safeguard the economy in the West Bank.

President,
Resolution 2803 welcomed the establishment of the Board of Peace in Gaza. While some States have joined the Board of Peace, other States, like Norway,

Still, we need to work together to implement this critical resolution that we all support. I would like to commend the United States for their essential role in reaching the ceasefire last October. Continued, strong US engagement is key in order to move forward. As highlighted in the AHLC meeting, Hamas' weapons must be decommissioned and the mediators' efforts must be supported so that aid, recovery and the aspirations of the Palestinians can move forward. Coordinated donor support is critical to humanitarian relief, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.

The AHLC aims to consolidate such efforts and to gather all stakeholders in the same room to pursue these common goals. The dedicated liaison committee between the PA and the Board of Peace institutions and the meeting between the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza held in the margins of the AHLC are important examples of the coordination needed.

The Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment undertaken by the World Bank, UN and EU, and published on the day of the AHLC meeting, constitutes an important basis for recovery and reconstruction efforts. In line with the report and Palestinian plans, donors should scale up assistance through the World Bank instruments, the UN multi-donor trust fund Horizon, and other mechanisms for humanitarian support.

President,
Civilians in Palestine, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, continue to suffer.

The Palestinian economy remains severely constrained - notably by Israeli access and movement restrictions, fiscal challenges, limited Palestinian control over natural resources and a weakened private sector.

There is deep concern among AHLC members about growing risks of systemic collapse of the Palestinian institutions and economy, with ensuing risks to basic public service provision and potential public security implications. Palestinian hospitals, schools, courts, police may stop functioning. Banks may be at risk.

This situation is also jeopardizing the pathway to Palestinian self-determination and independent statehood - longstanding and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

While improving economic prospects will require long-term structural change and a comprehensive political solution, it will be crucial in the short term to scale-up immediate financial support to safeguard the Palestinian institutions built over decades with donor support.

At our meeting, members of the AHLC members acknowledged the Palestinian Authority's progress in advancing reforms under challenging circumstances. They encouraged continued efforts on this path.

President,
2803 was an innovative resolution that established new transitional structures in Gaza. It has taken some time to integrate these new structures with pre-existing structures for assistance and development.

At the AHLC meeting, we came a long way in committing donors to a coherent, coordinated and consolidated effort toward our shared objective of improving conditions on the ground,

However, further action is required.

As Chair of the AHLC, I call on

• Hamas to decommission its weapons without delay. The 20-point plan hinges on this essential piece, which has the best chances of success as a sequential process with steps including guarantees, monitoring mechanisms, an overarching security architecture, and confidence-building measures.
• I call on the Government of Palestine to continue its reform efforts, including to prepare for its resumption of governance in Gaza in line with the 20-point plan and the Security Council Resolution 2803.
• I call on the Government of Israel to lift restrictions on access and movement, to ensure continued flow of clearance revenues in full, lift the cap on repatriation of physical shekels, and secure corresponding banking relations; to reverse expansion of settlements, address settler violence and hold perpetrators accountable. Israel must furthermore allow for the unimpeded delivery and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid at scale into aid throughout Gaza, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
• As for the international community, it should increase assistance at scale and in a timely fashion to the Palestinian people, including budget support and direct assistance to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and its reform efforts.
• All Parties and UN Member States should support the implementation of the 20-point Peace Plan and Resolution 2803, including through financial support through World Bank financing instruments and to the United Nations.
• We should also support the procedures agreed between the Palestinian Authority and the transitional Board of Peace institutions. I would like to highlight this. It was made crystal clear by all parties participating in the meeting in Brussels last week, that the transitional arrangements are indeed transitional and administrative and that there is only one recognized government in Palestine. I left the meeting convinced that this important clarification will help facilitate better two-way cooperation between the Palestinian authority and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
  
  

President,
The purpose of resolution 2803 adopted by this Council is to ensure that the ceasefire and the 20-point plan is implemented, for every people in the region to finally live in peace.

It is the duty of all of us to do our utmost to support the parties in this endeavor, and to - step by step - lay the groundwork for a better future.

I thank you.