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BUDAPEST, Hungary: Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international peace force that the United States is seeking to create to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel’s top diplomat said Monday.
The 20-point truce deal brokered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month envisages an international task force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide the troops.
It only says the US would “work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force” that would deploy in Gaza. The force would train and provide support to “vetted Palestinian police forces” in Gaza, and will “consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.”
The creation of the task force is currently underway, according US officials. But the second phase of the ceasefire agreement has not yet begun, Israeli officials said.
Speaking to journalists during a visit to Hungary, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel opposes the participation of Turkiye because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's long-standing hostility to Israel. Saar said Israel has communicated its opposition to Turkiye’s military involvement to US officials.
“Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to Israel,” Saar said. He did not elaborate.
US officials have said there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza. During their visits to Israel last week, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said multiple countries would be interested in joining an international force that would deploy to Gaza and train a Palestinian police force for the future.
The US was working to secure a UN mandate or other international authorization for the force, Rubio said.
Turkiye is seen by many as a strong contender for the force due to military power its close ties with the Palestinian militant Hamas group that is supposed to disarm under the ceasefire deal. Turkiye also once had strong diplomatic relations with Israel, though they have been at an all-time low over the war in Gaza, sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Erdogan has criticized Israel, and particularly Netanyahu, with strident rhetoric since the start of the Gaza war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, accusing Israel of genocide and comparing Netanyahu to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Hamas political officials regularly visit Turkiye, and Israel previously accused Turkiye of allowing Hamas to plan attacks from its territory, as well as carry out recruitment and fundraising.
Saar’s comments on Monday echoed remarks made by Netanyahu during a government meeting on Sunday.
“Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days.”
Earlier this month, Turkiye — one of the most active contributors of aid to Gaza — appointed a special coordinator to oversee humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Turkish organizations, including the Red Crescent and the emergency response agency AFAD, are making preparations toward reconstruction efforts, medical relief, and infrastructure restoration, officials said.

LONDON: Countries will reject “peace enforcing” in Gaza under the plan drawn up by US President Donald Trump, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has told the BBC.

The plan calls for Arab and other states to send personnel to “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and (who) will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.”

The king said his country and Egypt would be prepared to train Palestinian security forces, but a scenario involving foreign troops upholding order in Gaza would be unacceptable.

“What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” he added.

“Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time.

“If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in.”

The king said sending Jordanian troops to Gaza would be challenging because his country is “too close politically” to the situation.

Half of his subjects claim Palestinian descent, and 2.3 million Palestinian refugees reside in Jordan.

Fears abound among many members of the international community that peacekeepers could be caught up in renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas. 

“If we don’t solve this problem, if we don’t find a future for Israelis and Palestinians and a relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel, we’re doomed,” the king said.

In a separate interview with the BBC, Jordan’s Queen Rania condemned the failure of the international community to end the war sooner.

“You know what it’s like to be a parent over the last two years? To watch your children suffering, starving, shaking in terror, and to be powerless to do anything about it, and to know that the whole world is watching and not to do anything about it,” said the queen, who is of Palestinian heritage.

“That nightmare, it’s the nightmare of any parent, but that nightmare has been the daily reality for Palestinians for the last two years.”

She praised the Trump administration for breaking through the impasse, saying: “To his credit, Trump was the first president in a long time to actually apply pressure on Israel.

“Beforehand, when they crossed lines, the US president would just maybe just say a few words of rebuke, or they just get a slap on the wrist.

“President Trump actually got (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to actually agree to a ceasefire. And I hope that he continues to be engaged in this process.”

She added: “I truly believe that Palestinians and Israelis can exist side by side. In the current atmosphere, there’s too much animosity, too much anger and grief and hatred and cynicism between the two peoples to actually forge a peace on their own.

“I’m not being naive here. But I think, with the push of the international community, that is the only way.

“So many times during the past two years, hope had felt elusive. Choosing hope was not easy … It’s hard, it’s heavy. But it’s the only path that doesn’t deny Palestinians or betray their struggle or our humanity.”