ISRAEL PURSUES INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR GAZA: REPORT

Sat 30 March 2024:

Israel is pushing for the establishment of an international peacekeeping force to secure humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he made headway on the matter during his visit to Washington this week, according to Hebrew media reports.

The reports say the force would be composed of troops from three different unnamed Arab countries, but not Saudi Arabia or Qatar, a longtime patron of Hamas that is one of the mediators in hostage-for-truce talks between Israel and the Gaza-ruling terror organization.

The outlets also say that the idea is backed by the United States and that the force will likely be armed to ensure law and order and will work with Gazans who don’t have links to Hamas, ostensibly figures linked to the Palestinian Authority.

Channel 12 news reports that Netanyahu has been resistant to the idea, but Gallant suggested it was their best option, telling the premier “the Swiss” will not take up the task.

It is unclear whether Arab allies will actually be willing to participate in the scheme, given that they have repeatedly asserted that they will not take part in the management of Gaza after the war unless it is part of a broader initiative that includes the establishment of a pathway to a future Palestinian state — something the current government utterly rejects.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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