Jordan and Germany insisted on Saturday that an international force expected to support future Palestinian police in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s post-war governance plan must have a UN mandate. Under the US-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, a coalition of mainly Arab and Muslim nations will deploy forces in Gaza, devastated by the war that began in October 2023.
The force plans to train and back vetted Palestinian police in Gaza, which received support from Egypt and Jordan. Additionally, it aims to secure borders and halt weapons smuggling to Hamas. “We all agree that in order for that stabilisation 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 stated.
However, Jordan refuses to send its own troops, Safadi explained, “We’re too close to the issue and we cannot deploy troops in Gaza,” adding that nevertheless, his country stands ready to cooperate with the force.
International Support and Criticisms
Safadi spoke at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain alongside German counterpart Johann Wadephul, who echoed the call for a UN mandate, emphasizing that the force “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 said.
Critics have targeted the stabilisation force idea as UN experts warned last month that it would “replace Israeli occupation with a US-led occupation, contrary to Palestinian self-determination”. Meanwhile, the UN has overseen peacekeeping forces in the region for decades, that include UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, which collaborates with the Lebanese army to enforce a November 2024 ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.
