Foreign ministers of seven Arab and Islamic majority countries Met in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city to discuss the possibility of establishing an international stabilization force in Gaza, as well as a ceasefire in the region.
One of the aims of Monday’s meeting was to move countries closer to establishing a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave on rocky ground since it took effect on October 10.
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In that time, Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, including last week when it launched deadly attacks that killed more than 100 people – including 46 children – “earlier”.Starting again“Armistice. Total, At least 236 Palestinians There have been Israeli casualties in Gaza since the cease-fire began.
Foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia attended the meeting along with their Turkish counterparts. Some of them may contribute soldiers to the stabilization force.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is the status of the International Stabilization Force in Gaza?
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed reporters after the meeting and said talks were still ongoing about the proposed international force for Gaza, which included United States President Donald Trump. 20-Point Gaza Peace Plan.
The organization, which is expected to manage security inside the Gaza Strip, is still unknown and its responsibilities have not yet been publicly defined.
Fidan said countries attending the meeting “will decide whether to send troops or not, based on the text of the definition”.
Many of the countries involved in Monday’s meeting have previously called for a UN Security Council resolution to establish a military force if they want to join. And potential members of the force want its mandate to be clearly defined.
He was previously described by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan A “fruitful” meeting on the subject With Trump in late September.
What prevents the formation of an international force?
There is still a fundamental lack of trust between the participating Arab and Islamic countries and Israel. This is the result of Israel’s actions and continued attacks on Gaza since the cease-fire began.
So far, Israel has largely failed to fulfill its end of the ceasefire agreement. Apart from those killed, hundreds have been injured. Israel is not allowing Palestinians in Gaza to rebuild their homes, or the number agreed upon. Help truck To enter the besieged enclave.
For its part, Israel claims that Hamas did not return the bodies of dead prisoners sooner. However, Hamas says the task is complicated by the massive amount of rubble created by Israeli strikes and the fact that Israel destroyed most of the heavy equipment needed to search for bodies during the war on Gaza. Hamas also noted that, since the cease-fire began, Israel has prevented new machinery from entering the Strip.
Fidan said that Israel was trying to end the ceasefire and that the Israelis were not fulfilling their obligations under the agreement, adding that this was the joint view of the meeting attendees.
He called on Israel to stop its regular ceasefire violations and allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza – another topic discussed at the meeting.
Members of the proposed stabilization force are inevitably concerned that they are being asked to send troops into Gaza when it is not certain that Israel is fully committed to a cease-fire. So international troops will be in a situation where they are at risk of being attacked and policing on the ground while Israel continues its bombing.
What is Turkey’s stance on ceasefire?
Fidan said that Hamas and Israel still have major differences that cannot be resolved in the short term, but that Turkey is working towards peace.
Erdogan has criticized several violations of the ceasefire by Israel.
“We all see that Israel’s record on this matter is very poor,” the Turkish president said in comments carried by Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu.
“We are facing an administration that has killed more than 200 innocent people since the ceasefire agreement and continues its occupation and attacks on the West Bank,” Erdogan added.
“We cannot allow annexation of the (occupied) West Bank, changing the status of Jerusalem or attempts to damage the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
How are the relations between Turkey and Israel?
Turkey has a long history of relations with Israel – it was the first Muslim-majority state to recognize it in 1949.
But relations between the two countries hit an all-time low as a result of the war on Gaza, in which Israel has killed some 69,000 Palestinians.
While Erdogan has been highly critical of Israel’s actions during the war, some analysts believe Israel may Trying to build support for a future attack on Turkey.
Turkey has been instrumental in the ceasefire negotiations, encouraging Hamas to accept Trump’s peace plan.
It has also offered to take part in an international force for Gaza, but Israeli officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar – are adamant that their country will not accept a Turkish presence in Gaza.