DOD in early talks to fund a peacekeeping force in Gaza
Biden administration officials are in preliminary “conversations” about options for stabilizing post-war Gaza, including a proposal for the Pentagon to help fund either a multinational force or a Palestinian peacekeeping team.
The options being considered would not involve U.S. troops on the ground, according to two Defense Department officials and two other U.S. officials, all granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door diplomatic and military negotiations. Instead, DOD funding would go toward the needs of the security force and complement assistance from other countries.
Asked for comment, a senior administration official said “we are working with partners on various scenarios for interim governance and security structures in Gaza once the crisis recedes,” declining to detail specifics. “We’ve had a number of conversations with both the Israelis and our partners about key elements for the day after in Gaza when the time is right.”
It could be weeks or months before Washington and its partners approve any plan, especially since regional players want to see a commitment to a two-state solution before seriously engaging with the options. There are also questions about the viability of training a potential Palestinian-led force in time to maintain order in Gaza, which has been decimated after five months of brutal fighting.
And Israel is reluctant to have these conversations until it defeats Hamas militarily and secures the release of hostages being held by the group. Some officials within the Israeli government have called for Israel to occupy Gaza after the war, a proposal the U.S. opposes.
“Israel is the long pole in the tent,” said one of the DOD officials, noting that Israel “has their hands full with other things.”
“It would be one thing if the administration and the Israeli government were aligned on the way ahead, but that is just not the case,” said the official.
The talks include the White House, Pentagon, State Department and their foreign counterparts about what a potential day-after security force would look like, the four officials confirmed. The discussions indicate such forces remain serious and viable options for what follows Israel’s retaliation against Hamas.
Under initial plans being drawn up, DOD would provide funding for some type of security force that would not include U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, according to the two DOD officials. One of the officials added that aid could be used for reconstruction, infrastructure, humanitarian assistance and other needs. The enclave is in rubble, and the vast majority of its 2.2 million people are displaced with strained access to food, water and medicine.
The Pentagon would likely need to shift funds from elsewhere in the department to pay for the plan. American assistance would supplement contributions from other countries, per the two U.S. officials.
As for a potential Palestinian-led peacekeeping team, it’s still unclear who would train and equip its members, which could include some of the nearly 20,000 security personnel backed by the Palestinian Authority since Hamas took control of the enclave in the mid-2000s.
Spokespeople for DOD and the Israeli government didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
DOD began looking at options for supporting some kind of multinational force to stabilize Gaza around the new year, when there were expectations that Israel could soon start wrapping up its operations, according to the DOD official.
Then in January, Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to work with regional countries and moderate Palestinians to rebuild, stabilize and govern Gaza once the war ended. “This can only come through a regional approach that includes a pathway to a Palestinian state,” he said during a visit to Israel.
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