Arab countries have softened their position and no longer rule out the possibility of deploying multinational peacekeeping forces in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as part of a post-conflict settlement of the region. This was reported by the British newspaper Financial Times with reference to unnamed Arab diplomats.
According to one of the sources, the position of a number of Arab countries regarding the deployment of peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian enclave and in the West Bank has softened in recent weeks. While they previously insisted that Gaza should be governed by the Palestinians themselves and refused to support the deployment of international or regional forces in the enclave, they are now not ruling out sending peacekeeping troops as proof of their “commitment to the peace process”. in the region, the diplomat explained.
The publication points out that despite the great openness to such an idea, it remains unclear which specific countries support this measure. Thus, according to another interlocutor of the publication, so far only Egypt has supported the peacekeeping initiative, while Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar are against sending Arab peacekeepers to Gaza.
Another newspaper source noted that the deployment of any force would have to be approved by the UN Security Council (UNSC). According to him, the temporary deployment of the contingent is necessary to give the Palestinian Authority time to create its own “capable” forces. the security forces.
Palestinian President Mahmoud al-Habash's adviser said on May 2 that the military presence of Arab countries in the Palestinian enclave could be subject to discussion after the end of the current round of escalation.
The situation in the Middle East deteriorated sharply after the infiltration of militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which was accompanied by the killing of residents of border villages and the taking of more than 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave with the aim of destroying Hamas' military and political structures and freeing all abductees. To date, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave, as a result of Israeli actions, 34.7 thousand Palestinians have died and another 78 thousand have been injured.