Gaza security force to include countries Israel ‘comfortable with’: US

KIRYAT GAT: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Israel had to be at ease with the nations contributing to a future international security force in Gaza, following reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed Turkish involvement.

“We haven’t formed that force yet, so there’s still work going on,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre in southwestern Israel.

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“There’s a lot of countries that have offered to do it. Obviously as you put together this force, it will have to be people that Israel is comfortable or countries that Israel is comfortable with as well.”

Rubio was talking about the temporary international stabilization force envisaged under Gaza peace plan. Several countries are supposed to contribute to the force with an aim to to provide security, train Palestinian police, and oversee the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.

REGIONAL BROADER AGREEMENT TO EXPAND ABRAHAM ACCORDS

The US secretary of state also said that more countries are ready to normalise relations with Israel but the decision would await a broader regional agreement.

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Rubio, who was touring a US-led multinational centre aimed at coordinating a ceasefire in Gaza, said that a sustained end to the war would encourage more countries to join the so-called Abraham Accords, under which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalised ties with Israel in 2020.

“We have a lot of countries that want to join” the accords, he said.

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WEST BANK ANNEXATION ONLY A POLITICAL STUNT

On the other hand, Rubio said he did not believe that Israel would annex the West Bank, playing down this week’s Knesset vote to advance two bills.

Rubio said Israeli lawmakers had held the vote as a political stunt to embarrass US Vice President JD Vance and Netanyahu.

“Suffice it to say we don’t think it’s going to happen,” he told reporters.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow.