The Biden administration posed the scenario to Morocco, UAE, and Egypt that they participate in a peacekeeping force–along with U.S. troops–to be deployed in Gaza “once the war ends” to temporarily fill a void in the strip until a Palestinian security institution becomes permanently established, reported Financial Times on Thursday.
“Three Arab states have had initial discussions, including Egypt, the UAE and Morocco, but they would want the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state first,” FT said, quoting a western source.
KSA rejected the idea of deploying its forces in order to avoid being seen as complicit with Israel, as they are particularly concerned about getting drawn into an uprising in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Hamas administration since 2007.
They have, however, been increasingly amenable to the idea of an international force operating in Gaza, as Western and Arab powers strive to find a realistic alternative to Israeli forces continuing there.
Another individual privy to the discussions stated that Washington “…had been trying to build some momentum for a stability force, but the American policy is pretty firm that there will be no American troops on the ground, so it’s hard for them to make the argument that others should.”
“There’s a long way to go to see an Arab stability force in Gaza,” added the same source to FT.
It is also unclear as to what–if anything–Israel would be ready to agree to, with the U.S. and its allies in disagreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for the region.
This includes–among other things–the length of time which Netanyahu intends to maintain forces in the broken strip, whom his far-right cabinet would accept as its administrator, and how long Israel’s presence will last.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington “has been working for many, many weeks on developing credible plans for security, governance, and rebuilding,” with Arab governments and its allies.
A State Department spokesperson said, “There will be an ongoing need for many nations to step up to support Gaza’s governance, security and humanitarian efforts.”
Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will retain a unilateral presence in the strip and has strongly opposed the Western-and-Arab-backed Palestinian Authority playing any part in the enclave’s governance.
He has also blocked any efforts to establish a Palestinian state.
Some Israeli politicians, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have voiced support for establishing an international presence in Gaza following the conflict. However, the lack of clarity over Israel’s position has created ambiguity about any postwar plans.
Since Israel started its onslaught in Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7th attack, civil order has collapsed in the beleaguered territory, and most of its infrastructure has been destroyed.
Netanyahu has sworn to eliminate Hamas. However, the U.S. and Arab governments have cautioned Israel that it will be unable to completely remove Hamas, which remains an integral component of Palestinian society.
Arab governments demand that in order to achieve a long-term settlement to the problem, the U.S. and other Western nations must apply pressure on Israel to employ good-faith efforts toward the establishment of a two-state solution, which is overwhelmingly viewed across the world as the only way to end the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Last Monday, UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stated that Netanyahu “does not have any legal capacity to take this step.”
However, he did state that the UAE would be willing to assist a Palestinian administration that satisfies the people’s dreams and ambitions, including independence.