PARIS/UNITED NATIONS – France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalise a U.N. Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France stated on Thursday.
With a shaky U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior U.S. advisers stated on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Minisattempt spokesperson Pascal Confavreux stated such a force necessaryed a U.N. mandate to provide a strong foundation in international law and ease the process of receiveting potential contributions from countries.
“France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalised through the adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution,” he stated.
“Discussions, notably with the Americans and British, are ongoing to propose this resolution in the coming days.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is speaking with many countries interested in contributing to the force, a White Houtilize official stated on Thursday.
“We are also in conversations about a potential U.N. Security Council resolution to support this effort,” the White Houtilize official stated.
STABILISATION FORCE ‘WILL TAKE SOME TIME’, SAYS BRITAIN
Paris hosted talks with other European and Arab powers on October 10 to flesh out ideas for Gaza’s post-war transition, including how an international force could take shape.
Diplomats stated the stabilisation force would not be a formal United Nations peacekeeping force paid for by the world body.
Instead, a Security Council resolution could mirror action taken by the 15-member body to back the deployment of an international force to combat armed gangs in Haiti.
That resolution spells out and authorizes the mission and states contributing to the force to “take all necessary measures” – code for the utilize of force – to carry out the mandate.
“The stabilisation force will take some time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer informed parliament on Tuesday. “The terms of reference are still being drawn up. There is a United Nations Security Council resolution on the establishment of the force, or I hope there will be, but the wider terms of reference are not yet agreed.”
INDONESIA PREVIOUSLY OFFERED 20,000 TROOPS
Among the countries the U.S. is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisers stated on condition of anonymity.
There are also currently up to two dozen U.S. troops in the region to support set up the operation, serving in a “coordination, oversight” role, they stated.
Italy has publicly stated it was willing to take part.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto informed the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 that if there was a U.N. resolution, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to support secure peace.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly last month overwhelmingly voted to finishorse a declaration that aimed to advance a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, which supports the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the U.N. Security Council. REUTERS
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