Shafaqna India: The United States is seeking approval from the United Nations for the establishment of an International Security Force (ISF) in Gaza with a mandate of at least two years, Axios reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the US sent several UN Security Council (UNSC) members a draft resolution yesterday outlining the establishment of its proposed security force to maintain security in the Palestinian enclave.
Axios, which obtained a copy of the draft, said that the resolution was designated “sensitive but unclassified”. It reported that the resolution would give the US and other participating countries a broad mandate to deploy security forces to govern Gaza until the end of 2027, and allowed the possibility of extensions beyond that time.
The force would be established “in consultation with the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’”, to be chaired by US President Donald Trump, the publication reported. The Board of Peace is also to remain in place “at least through the end of 2027”.
However, a US official told Axios that the ISF was to be an “enforcement force and not a peacekeeping force”. The official said that the goal was to vote to establish the force in the next few weeks and deploy the first troops to Gaza by January.
The publication said the draft would serve as the basis for upcoming negotiations between UNSC members. It further said that the proposed resolution tasked the ISF with “securing Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, protecting civilians and humanitarian corridors, and training a new Palestinian police force, with which it’s to partner in its mission”.
The ISF would also “stabilise the security environment in Gaza by ensuring the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups,” the draft stated, as well as taking on “additional tasks” as required to support the Gaza peace deal.
Axios said that this suggested that the mandate included disarming Hamas if it does not do so of its own volition.
The resolution further said that the ISF would deploy in Gaza “under unified command acceptable to the Board of Peace” and stressed that there would be “close consultation and cooperation with Egypt and Israel”. The proposed force would have the power “to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate consistent with international law, including international humanitarian law”.
According to Axios, the ISF was intended to provide security in Gaza during a transition period during which Israel would gradually withdraw from additional parts of Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority would conduct reforms that would enable it to take over Gaza longer-term.
The draft resolution also called for the empowerment of the Board of Peace as “a transitional governance administration”. The draft resolution said that the board would be “supervising and supporting a Palestinian technocratic, apolitical committee of competent Palestinians from the Strip … which shall be responsible for day-to-day operations of Gaza’s civil service and administration”.
It added that aid would be delivered by organisations working with the Board of Peace, including the UN, Red Cross and Red Crescent; meanwhile, any organisation that misuses or diverts this aid it will be banned“.
Muslim nations’ meeting in Istanbul
The establishment of the ISF is a cornerstone of the US-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement, which paved the way for the October 10 ceasefire in the Palestinian territory. The ceasefire, which halted two years of continuous bloodshed, has been tested by fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza.
The ceasefire was achieved with the efforts of eight Muslim countries —Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia — that worked with the Trump administration on the Gaza peace plan.
Foreign ministers from seven of these countries, namely Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia — met in Istanbul yesterday and agreed to back a post-war framework for Gaza, where Palestine’s governance and security is ensured by Palestinians. They also stressed the importance of a UN mandate for the proposed task force for stabilisation in Gaza.
After the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters that the propsoed taskforce to monitor the Gaza ceasefire under a US-brokered deal needed a mandate defined by the UNSC and a framework for legitimacy, on the basis of which countries would decide whether to send soldiers to the enclave.
Washington is currently working with Arab and international partners to decide on the composition of the force, with Turkiye hoping to play a role, despite fierce opposition from Israel. “The countries we’ve spoken with say they will decide whether to send troops based on … the ISF’s mandate and authority,” Fidan said yesterday.
“First, a general consensus needs to be reached on a draft, then it needs to be approved by the members of the Security Council.
“And it needs to be free from vetoes by any of the permanent (UNSC) members,” Fidan said of a blocking move frequently used by key Israel ally Washington.
Top-level consultations are reportedly also underway in Pakistan over the question of sending troops for the proposed Gaza force, and insiders privy to developments say that a formal announcement is expected soon. However, much like Germany and Jordan, Islamabad would prefer to have any deployment to Gaza under the UN umbrella.