“Peacekeeping, Not Peace-Enforcing”
Jordan Rejects Sending Troops to Gaza
King Abdullah II says Jordan and Egypt will train Palestinian police but will not join armed missions in Gaza, rejecting Trump’s ceasefire plan as “peace-enforcing.” Israel’s Netanyahu asserts Jerusalem will control which international forces operate in the Strip.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has ruled out deploying troops to Gaza under President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire initiative, emphasizing that Arab and international partners would oppose any mission perceived as “peace-enforcing” rather than strictly peacekeeping.
In an interview with BBC Panorama, the monarch said Jordan and Egypt are willing to train Palestinian police forces but will not participate in armed patrols or stabilization operations inside the Gaza Strip, as reported by Jewish Breaking News.
“What is the mandate of security forces inside Gaza? We hope it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace-enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” King Abdullah said. “Peacekeeping means supporting local Palestinian police, which Jordan and Egypt are ready to train in large numbers — but that takes time.”
Under Trump’s plan, Arab states and allied nations would deploy stabilization forces to back vetted Palestinian police units while Hamas disarms and relinquishes political control of Gaza. Jordan and Egypt, both with long-standing security cooperation with Israel and regional policing experience, were named as key partners in facilitating the transition.
However, citing Jordan’s demographics, where over half the population is of Palestinian descent, King Abdullah stressed that his country is “too close politically” to take part in direct operations.
“If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, no country would want to be involved in that,” he added.
Asked about Hamas’s willingness to relinquish power, the King noted that Qatar and Egypt “feel very optimistic” that the group will honor its commitments under the plan.
“If we don’t solve this problem, if we don’t find a future for Israelis and Palestinians and a relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel, we’re doomed,” Abdullah warned.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would unilaterally decide which international forces could operate in Gaza.
“We are in control of our security, and we have made it clear that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable,” Netanyahu told his cabinet. “This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its senior representatives have recently expressed.”