The International Stabilization Force (ISF) that is to patrol Gaza as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan could include troops from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and Pakistan, one report says.
The New York Times reported last week that Arab and Muslim nations had been reluctant to fulfill their portion of the agreement regarding the ISF, due to fears of clashes with Hamas — which is still refusing to disarm — and fears that they would be viewed as an occupying force, defending Israel against Palestinians.
However, a few nations have stepped forward — all Muslim, and all non-Arab states.
Israel’s Ynetnews.com reported Sunday:
Sources also said that an international stabilization force is expected to enter the Gaza Strip as part of the agreement. The force, known as the ISF, is expected to include troops from Indonesia, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan. It will be tasked with maintaining internal security and policing in Gaza, as well as assisting Israel in securing the borders and preventing weapons smuggling into the territory.
Indonesia has previously been mentioned as a possible future partner in the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons, recently entered into an open defense alliance with Saudi Arabia and remains in conflict with India, a nation that maintains close relations with Israel. Azerbaijan, which borders Iran, enjoys warm ties with Israel and cooperates closely on defense and technology matters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the Trump deal allows Israel to approve or disapprove of countries participating in the ISF.
“We are in control of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate,” Netanyahu said at the start of a government meeting, according to remarks released by his office.
“This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days,” he added.
Separately, Israel declared southern portions of the country to have left “emergency” status for the first time in two years since the October 7, 2023 terror attack.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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