Gaza security force to include countries Israel ‘comfortable with’: US

KIRYAT GAT: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Israel had to be at ease with the nations contributing to a future international security force in Gaza, following reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed Turkish involvement.

“We haven’t formed that force yet, so there’s still work going on,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre in southwestern Israel as he again ruled out any role of Hamas in the future of Gaza.

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“There’s a lot of countries that have offered to do it. Obviously as you put together this force, it will have to be people that Israel is comfortable or countries that Israel is comfortable with as well.”

Rubio was talking about the temporary international stabilization force envisaged under Gaza peace plan. Several countries are supposed to contribute to the force with an aim to to provide security, train Palestinian police, and oversee the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.

He, however, voiced hope of soon putting together the international force to police the ceasefire in Gaza.

HAMAS HAS NO FUTURE

At the same time, Rubio said it was critical for the deal to create “the conditions for the stabilisation force to come in as soon as it possibly can be put together”.

Rubio said the United States may seek a UN mandate for the force as some countries need the world body’s imprimatur to deploy troops.

The Trump administration has pulled back from much of the United Nations and Rubio again rejected any future role for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has long sought to sideline.

Some 200 US soldiers have deployed to the ceasefire coordination centre, where uniformed troops from a dozen countries were seen mingling in the hastily-assembled rented space whose latest addition was artificial grass carpeting.

Rubio said the future of governance in Gaza still needs to be worked out among Israel and partner nations but could not include Hamas. Any potential role for the Palestinian Authority has yet to be determined, he added.

REGIONAL BROADER AGREEMENT TO EXPAND ABRAHAM ACCORDS

The US secretary of state also said that more countries are ready to normalise relations with Israel but the decision would await a broader regional agreement.

Read more: Middle East allies ready to ‘straighten out Hamas’ if asked: Trump

Rubio, who was touring a US-led multinational centre aimed at coordinating a ceasefire in Gaza, said that a sustained end to the war would encourage more countries to join the so-called Abraham Accords, under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020.

“We have a lot of countries that want to join” the accords, he said.

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WEST BANK ANNEXATION ONLY A POLITICAL STUNT

On the other hand, Rubio said he did not believe that Israel would annex the West Bank, playing down this week’s Knesset vote to advance two bills.

Rubio said Israeli lawmakers had held the vote as a political stunt to embarrass US Vice President JD Vance and Netanyahu.

“Suffice it to say we don’t think it’s going to happen,” he told reporters.

AFP