What's holding up the Gaza stabilization mission?
A multinational stabilization mission is supposed to ensure the reconstruction of Gaza. Without political consensus among Israel, Hamas and the Arab states, its implementation remains
A multinational stabilization mission is supposed to ensure the reconstruction of Gaza. Without political consensus among Israel, Hamas and the Arab states, its implementation remains uncertain. Morocco recently signed an agreement to participate in the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza. This agreement "reflects the shared determination to contribute, through concrete humanitarian and security actions, to the establishment of a climate of peace and security in the region," Morocco's state news agency MAP reported in July. According to the report, Morocco's contribution includes military personnel, police and gendarmerie forces and a field hospital. Morocco is the first Arab country to join the planned international security mission for the Gaza Strip. Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania are also part of the force, while Jordan and Egypt have agreed to supporting roles only. However, it remains to be seen whether the ISF can ever be deployed on the scale originally envisioned by its initiators. The force, which is linked to the "Board of Peace" established by US President Donald Trump, is intended to do far more than simply secure humanitarian aid: It's seen as the security cornerstone of the planned post-war order for Gaza. No traditional UN peacekeeping mission The International Stabilization Force is tasked with securing the reconstruction process, protecting humanitarian aid deliveries, and training new Palestinian security forces. In the long term, it is intended to support a political transition.
However, in contrast to traditional United Nations peacekeeping missions, it will be organized outside the usual UN command structures even though the UN authorized the force. This structural difference makes the ISF one of the most ambitious — and one of the most challenging — international projects for the Gaza Strip. "The involvement of international actors requires at least a minimum level of political stability," Gil Murciano, executive director of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, told DW. The real problem, he said, is not the mission itself, but the lack of a political framework in which it needs to operate. Marcus Schneider, head of Germany's political Friedrich Ebert Foundation's Regional Project for Peace and Security in the Middle East in Beirut, is also skeptical about the mission's prospects for success. "Israel wants to secure military freedom of action, while potential troop-contributing countries are primarily interested in a traditional peacekeeping mission," he told DW, adding that "these differing expectations pretty much rule each other out." This view is echoed by the International Peace Institute (IPI). According to a recent analysis, a stable, legitimate Palestinian administration is needed first; otherwise, the ISF risks becoming yet another international transitional project. As long as reconstruction is tied to a political framework, the population of Gaza remains in limbo Image: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS Israel, Hamas, and the Arab states still differ on Gaza's future In particular, Israel, Hamas, and the Arab states have differing views on what role the ISF should play.
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