France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalize a UN Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France said Thursday.
With a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holding, planning has begun for an international force to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior U.S. advisers said Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said such a force would need a UN mandate to provide a strong foundation in international law and make it easier to secure contributions from other countries.
“France is working closely with its partners on the establishment of such an international mission, which must be formalized through the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution,” he said.
Resolution being discussed with Americans
“Discussions, notably with the Americans and the British, are ongoing to propose this resolution in the coming days,” Confavreux said.
Paris hosted talks with other European and Arab powers on Oct. 10 to develop ideas for Gaza’s postwar transition, including how an international force could take shape.
Diplomats said the stabilization force would not be a formal United Nations peacekeeping mission funded by the world body.
Instead, a Security Council resolution could mirror the action taken by the 15-member body to support the deployment of an international force to combat armed gangs in Haiti.
That resolution authorizes the mission and participating states to “take all necessary measures” — diplomatic language that allows the use of force — to carry out its mandate.
“The stabilization force will take some time,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament on Tuesday. “The terms of reference are still being drawn up. There is a United Nations Security Council resolution on the establishment of the force — or I hope there will be — but the wider terms of reference are not yet agreed.”
Indonesia previously offered 20,000 troops
Among the countries the United States is speaking with about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan, the advisers said on condition of anonymity. There are also currently up to two dozen U.S. troops in the region helping set up the operation in a “coordination and oversight” role, they said.
Italy has publicly said it is willing to take part.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto told the UN General Assembly on Sept. 23 that if there were a UN resolution, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace.
Last month, the 193-member UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to endorse a declaration supporting efforts toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The declaration backed the idea of a temporary international stabilization mission mandated by the Security Council.