ALBAWABA - On Sunday, the Israeli government said that Turkey would not be able to send troops to the Gaza Strip. This means that Turkey will not be able to join the planned multinational force proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza after Israel leaves.
Shosh Bedrossian, a spokesperson for the government, told reporters that Israel's position is clear: "There will be no Turkish soldiers on the ground in Gaza."
As Washington pushes for a plan to stabilize Gaza after the war, which includes creating a temporary international force to handle security and administration after Israeli troops leave, this statement comes out. The force, on the other hand, hasn't been sent out yet because a number of countries say it needs UN Security Council approval first.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said earlier this month at a security forum in Manama that Turkey would take part in the mission. This is different from what Israel said. His comment seemed to go against what Israel was worried about and suggested that Turkey would be part of the future force.
In the same way, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said last month that Turkey could play a "constructive role" in Gaza after the war. He also made it clear that the U.S. would not force Israel to let any foreign military into the territory it controls.
The United States and its partners are still talking about the political and legal framework for the stabilization mission. There are still disagreements about how it should be made up, what it should do, and where it should be deployed, especially since Israel is clearly against any Turkish military presence in Gaza.
