During his visit to Washington last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the possibility of establishing a multinational military force of Arab countries, according to Israeli media.
An Israeli senior official told Maariv that the United States would support this force, which would be responsible for controlling law and order in Gaza and escorting humanitarian aid convoys.
Israel is interested in the advancement of such an Arab force both to solve the problem of the looting of humanitarian aid convoys and to prevent the spread of hunger in the Gaza Strip and also to enable the construction of a Palestinian alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza.
“Such a move will build a governing body in the territory that is not Hamas and will solve for Israel a growing problem with the US when it comes to the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” said an Israeli official.
The Israeli official noted that Gallant discussed the possibility of establishing such a multinational force both during his talks with US Defense Secretary Austin and in his talks with Secretary of State Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as part of promoting a plan for the day after the war in Gaza.
According to the Israeli official, this is an Arab force that will only stay in Gaza for a limited transition period and will be responsible for securing the temporary pier that the US will build off the coast of Gaza and for escorting the humanitarian aid convoys so that the aid reaches the population, not looting and not being under Hamas control.
American support is key to the plan
Gallant asked the US to cooperate in promoting the establishment of this multinational force and emphasized to the Americans that this was the political and material support and not the sending of American soldiers to Gaza.
The Israeli official noted that senior officials in the IDF and the Defense Ministry discussed the issue recently with representatives from three Arab countries, including Egypt.
The progress came following IDF and Defense Ministry personnel visits to Arab countries.
“There is progress in promoting this initiative both in terms of the willingness of the American administration and in terms of the openness of Arab countries to the idea,” said the Israeli official.
After his return from Washington, Gallant informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the War Cabinet, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on the issue.
Gallant and other senior officials in the defense establishment are expected to hold follow-up talks on the issue with the US and Arab countries to advance the initiative.
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