Jordan’s King Abdullah II Says No Country Will Volunteer to ‘Enforce’ Gaza Ceasefire

Latest Developments

• ‘Peacekeeping’ and ‘Peace Enforcement’: Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that it would be difficult for the United States to persuade countries to join the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza as outlined in the agreed-upon 20-Point Peace Plan if it means directly confronting Hamas. “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,” the Hashemite monarch told the BBC. Abdullah asserted that peacekeeping involves “sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers,” while enforcement would entail “running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in.”
• Israel Rejects Turkey’s Participation: While visiting Israel on October 24, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “lots of countries” have already offered to join the force — a key element of President Donald Trump’s plan to stabilize Gaza. The ISF is described in the plan as “the long-term security solution” that would “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza.” The ISF is also expected to progressively assume control over areas currently held by the IDF. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated that Israel would not allow Turkish troops to be part of the ISF due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hostility to Israel. On October 26, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would determine which foreign forces it would allow to participate in the ISF.
• Turkish Nationals Arrested Smuggling Guns in Israel: Highlighting the tensions with Turkey, Israeli prosecutors filed charges against three Turkish citizens on October 26, accusing them of entering Israel illegally to smuggle firearms purchased in Iran through the Jordanian border into Israel. According to the investigation, the firearms were destined for Palestinian terrorist groups The IDF apprehended Oktay Asci and one of his recruits, Rahman Gokyer, as they tried to hop the security fence separating Jordan from the Golan Heights. The third defendant, Younes Ozel, who had also been recruited by Asci, was arrested at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station as he attempted to carry out two failed gun deals.