Decommissioning Hamas weapons seen as major stumbling block, with British diplomats advising on process
www.theguardian.com
Egypt expected to lead global stabilisation force in Gaza, say diplomats
Decommissioning Hamas weapons seen as major stumbling block, with British diplomats advising on process
European and US-backed UN security council motion to give a planned international stabilisation force robust powers to control security inside Gaza is being prepared, with the strong expectation that
Egypt will lead it, diplomats have said.
The US is pressing for the force to have a UN mandate without being a fully fledged UN peacekeeping force and will operate with the kind of powers given to international troops operating in Haiti to combat armed gangs.
Turkey, Indonesia and Azerbaijan are also being billed alongside Egypt as the main troop contributors. Egypt is still being consulted on whether the force should be a full UN-led operation.
It is not expected that European or British troops will be involved, but Britain has sent advisers to a small cell being operated by the US inside Israel that is working on implementing the second phase of the
20-point plan developed by Donald Trump, the US president.
The UK is stressing that the ultimate aim is a Palestinian state , which must be seen eventually as a single entity including the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The UK has already been training a Palestinian police force contingent but the international force will be given lead responsibility under the proposal.
If the force proves effective, Israel will withdraw further. Israel has however been insisting it will retain a large Israeli controlled buffer zone to protect itself from fresh
Hamas attacks.
British diplomats admit that the issue of decommissioning Hamas weapons will be the most difficult and it is contributing ideas from the process in Northern Ireland, where IRA and Protestant-controlled weapons were put beyond use including through an independent verification body.