The Arab League on Thursday called for the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces to the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The statement called on the UN Security Council to set a deadline for its political process until a two-state solution can be negotiated.
The idea of sending UN peacekeeping forces to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been occasionally mentioned by diplomats. But U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said the Arab League's statement appeared to be the first time the group had formally made such a request in writing.
It is unlikely that UN peacekeepers will be sent to Gaza or the West Bank in the near future, as they must first be approved by the Council before they can be deployed to conflicts. UN forces are typically assembled from the militaries of multiple countries, do not enter active combat zones, and do not participate in combat. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to keep UN peacekeepers on the ground.
“First of all, we need to maintain peace,” Haq said. “We will not take part in active combat, and the parties themselves will need to agree to allow peacekeeping forces to be stationed. We will not enter the war as an enemy or occupying force.”
The proposal was submitted as part of a final statement released by the federation after its 22 member states met in Manama, Bahrain, on Thursday, and the summit was dominated by discussion on the war in Gaza.
In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire and accusing Israel of obstructing its efforts, the Arab League also called for “the United Nations International Protection Force and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution is implemented.” “Dispatch.''
Haq said the United Nations would be willing to take other steps requested by the Arab League, such as hosting or leading a conference towards peace and ceasefire in the conflict. However, he said no clear plans have been discussed yet.
Asked if the US supported sending in UN peacekeepers, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said bringing in “additional security forces” could jeopardize Israel's efforts to dismantle Hamas. he told reporters in Washington.
The Arab League statement, carried by Bahrain's state-run news media, reiterated the group's position that a two-state solution should be based on borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The group said the board should not do so. It will only take “clear steps” towards introducing such solutions and will also set deadlines for doing so.
In his speech at the summit on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the two-state solution was “the only durable way to end the cycle of violence and instability.”
“The war in Gaza is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region,” Guterres said, justifying the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 and the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” He added that there was “nothing”. ”
The Arab League's call for a UN peacekeeping force comes amid heated debate over how Gaza should be governed after the war. Negotiations over a ceasefire have been complicated by Israel's ground invasion of Rafah. Those agreements had already stalled due to stubborn disagreements between Israel and Hamas over how long the ceasefire should last and the conditions for exchanging Palestinian prisoners and detainees and hostages.
