Netanyahu Has Now Said Only Israel Will Decide Which International Forces Will Be Allowed Into Gaza
Netanyahu stressed that the US does not dictate Israel and it "will determine which forces are unacceptable" itself.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that only Israel will decide which countries’ foreign troops would be allowed to join the international forces in Gaza.
As part of the ceasefire deal, the US, alongside Arab and international partners, are to help develop a temporary international force in Gaza, which will train and support vetted Palestinian police forces and provide a long-term solution for internal security in Gaza.
It remains unclear which countries will send its troops to Gaza.
The Trump administration has ruled out sending US soldiers into Gaza, but it has been speaking to Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute to the multinational force.
But Netanyahu said at the start of his government meeting on Sunday, Oct. 26, that the US does not dictate Israel, adding that Israel alone will decide the forces that would be allowed into Gaza.
"Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu’s statement came after he had hinted during US Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel on Oct. 22 that he was opposed to any role for Turkish security forces in Gaza as part of the mission to monitor the ceasefire, according to Reuters.
Vance said that there would be a "constructive role" for Turkey to play, but the US wouldn't force anything on Israel when it came to foreign troops "on their soil".
The relationship between Israel and Turkey has been deteriorating since Israel began its genocide in Gaza, killing more than 68,519 Palestinians, and Turkey has completely cut off all economic and trade ties with Israel over its genocide, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
During the official signing of the ceasefire deal in Egypt on Oct. 13, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also reportedly threatened to pull out if Netanyahu attended the signing.
Netanyahu did not attend in the end, saying that it was due to “the proximity of the event to the start of the holiday.”
In his statement on Sunday, Netanyahu also warned that Israel will continue to strike targets in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sofia Hou
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
