Jordan, Qatar, Saudis hesitant to join US-driven postwar peacekeeping force in Gaza
While Egypt and UAE are conditionally on board, neighbors have held off so as not to be seen as ‘protecting’ Israel from Palestinians, officials tell ToI; PA presents its own plan
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
DOHA, Qatar — Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have rebuffed requests to contribute troops to a postwar peacekeeping force in Gaza, an Arab official and a second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The dispatched troops would be seen to be “protecting Israel from the Palestinians,” the Arab official said, explaining the opposition of Amman, Doha and Riyadh to the effort being advanced by the United States to help secure Gaza after the war.
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have expressed willingness to participate in the effort, three officials told The Times of Israel in June.
Going public with that stance, a senior Emirati official penned an op-ed in the Financial Times last month in which she called for the establishment of a “temporary international mission” in Gaza “that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, lays the groundwork for governance and paves the way to reuniting Gaza and the occupied West Bank under a single, legitimate Palestinian Authority.”
Lana Nusseibah clarified in her op-ed that Emirati involvement is conditioned on the initiative being US-led and being part of a broader initiative aimed at an eventual two-state solution — a framework Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has flatly rejected.
Egypt has placed similar conditions on its its participation in the postwar Gaza peacekeeping force, according to the three officials speaking to The Times of Israel in June.
The US has been looking to recruit countries for the effort, as it seeks to re-install the PA as the ruling authority in Gaza while recognizing that Ramallah needs time to reform and that a temporary security and governing force will be necessary to help fill the vacuum so Hamas does not regain control.
During visits to Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Jordan in June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed interlocutors that the US had made progress on the issue, receiving support from Cairo and Abu Dhabi for the creation of a force that would work alongside local Palestinian officers, the three officials said.
Blinken told counterparts that the US would help establish and train the security force and ensure that it would have a temporary mandate so that it could eventually be replaced by a fully Palestinian body, the third source said, adding that the goal is for the PA to eventually take over full control of Gaza.
Blinken clarified, though, that the US would not be contributing troops of its own, the officials said.
During a June 12 press conference in Doha, Blinken said the US and its partners would soon release plans for the postwar management of Gaza. While the administration initially planned to publish a pair of concept notes on Gaza’s postwar governance and security the next month, it subsequently decided to hold off until after a still-elusive ceasefire deal is reached between Israel and Hamas, according to a US official.
While Riyadh has rebuffed the idea of contributing troops to a postwar security force, Washington is still hoping that Saudi Arabia will lead reconstruction efforts, said the two officials speaking to The Times of Israel this week.
Meanwhile, the PA has made its own efforts to plan for the postwar governance of Gaza, drafting a 101-page document titled “The Palestinian Government Interventions and Services and Plan for the Day After in the Gaza Strip.”
Spearheaded by new PA Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, the plan has been shared with international stakeholders in an effort to demonstrate Ramallah’s efforts to reform and prepare to return to Gaza after it was violently ousted from the Strip by Hamas in 2007.
“The document aims to illustrate the key steps the PA will take to unify governance across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, allowing for the delivery of integrated and responsive basic services to our people once a ceasefire and political agreement are reached, in addition to presenting the crucial services and activities of the carried out by the governmental institutions in the Strip,” states the PA plan obtained by The Times of Israel.
“However, the task of governing Gaza, ensuring security and restoring economic services and activities, as well as rebuilding shelter and infrastructure, will require significant international support. This plan is linked to a larger national reform process that will strengthen the Government of Palestine, renew and enhance citizen confidence, and strengthen the foundations of democracy at the local and national levels,” the document adds.
