It is unlikely that U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) will come into being, at least not as it was originally conceived, according to Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.
“A lot of the countries that have been asked to participate in it have refused, including some that we might have thought would be more amenable to the idea, because they're friendly towards all sides of the controversy, including the State of Israel,” Zell explained on a recent ILTV Podcast. “But that's not happening. And I think the reason is that they understand that the task of disarming Hamas will be a very painful and costly and bloody one. So, that really leaves in my mind only one possibility. Only the IDF will be able to take care of this.”
Zell said Israel should continue to remain firm in its effort to disarm Hamas and stay vigilant against allowing Qatar or Turkey to play any boots-on-the-ground role in Gaza. He added that those countries should also not be considered for the proposed Board of Peace or the executive board operating under it.
“Israel is right about making sure that countries like Qatar and Turkey, who are vehemently anti-Israel and acting in a very toxic way against the Jewish state, cannot be participating in this,” Zell said.
Zell has been involved with the Republican Party for decades. After moving to Israel, he took an active role in mobilizing U.S. citizens living in the country to vote for Republican candidates. According to Zell, there are roughly 700,000 U.S. citizens in Israel, with about 500,000 eligible to vote. Republicans Overseas has focused on energizing that electorate and ensuring participation at the ballot box.
“Indeed, they are voting,” he said, noting that around 300,000 voted in the 2024 election, with roughly 90% supporting Trump.
“That makes us probably the most successful overseas Republican organization in the world and in history,” Zell said.
When asked about concerns surrounding Republican figures such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, who have voiced anti-Israel views to large global audiences, Zell said their influence within the party is “overstated.”
“These are a small vocal minority,” he said. “They're public figures and media figures, but they have had their views tempered by the vast majority of the Republican Party, including President Trump. Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and a lot of other crackpots are trying to steal headlines and get attention. They're not succeeding.”
Still, Zell warned that the mainstream must remain vigilant as the United States approaches the midterm elections in November and the next presidential race in 2028.
“We have to make sure that they remain what they are, a fringe element in the Republican conservative universe,” he said.
Zell added that one area of real concern is the growing distance between younger conservatives and Israel, which he believes reflects a failure of messaging, both from Republican leadership and from Israel itself.
“I believe we have to be vigilant, and we have to be persistent, and we have to reaffirm our own commitment to truth and reality,” Zell concluded.
Watch the full interview: