Jordan and Germany say Gaza stabilization force should have UN mandate

MANAMA, Bahrain — Jordan and Germany say that an international force expected to support a future Palestinian police presence in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s postwar governance plan should have a UN mandate.

Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations is expected to deploy forces in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by the war that the terror group sparked on October 7, 2023, with its massacre in southern Israeli communities.

The so-called international stabilization force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan, as well as secure border areas and prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas.

“We all agree that in order for that stabilization force to be able to be effective in getting the job done, it has to have a Security Council mandate,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says.

Jordan, however, will not be sending its own forces to the Strip.

“We’re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,” Safadi says, adding his country was nonetheless ready to cooperate with the international force.

Safadi speaks at the IISS Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who also supports a UN mandate for the force, saying it would “need a clear basis in international law.”

“We understand that this is of utmost importance to those countries who might be willing to send troops to Gaza and for the Palestinians. Germany would also want to see a clear mandate for this mission,” Wadephul says.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.