Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan negotiating on providing troops for Gaza stabilization force

Indonesia, Azerbaijan and Pakistan are the top contenders to supply troops for a future stabilization force in the Gaza Strip, Politico writes, referring to a U.S. defense official and a former U.S. defense official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive ongoing discussions.

Negotiations on the makeup of the force are ongoing, and no country has made a firm commitment, the current U.S. defense official said.

These are the countries that have expressed the most interest, the U.S. defense official said.

Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in Gaza says the U.S. will work with Arab and other partners to deploy a temporary stabilization force that will train and support vetted Palestinian police forces and will consult with Egypt and Jordan on the effort. The U.S. has said no American troops will be inside Gaza.

The so-called international stabilization force is a crucial component to Trump’s plan to end the war between Hamas and Israel and pave the way for Gaza’s ultimate demilitarization and reconstruction.

Many diplomats and analysts are skeptical that Trump’s plan will ever move out of its current phase.

As noted, the U.S. has sent 200 troops to Israel to help coordinate the effort to maintain the ceasefire and stabilize the enclave.

The former defense official said that coordinating with Indonesia and Azerbaijan adds a layer of complexity to the stabilization effort because they are not in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility.