The Arab League on Thursday called for the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank The statement also called on the UN Security Council to set a time limit for the political process until a two-state solution can be negotiated.
Diplomats occasionally raise the idea of deploying U.N. peacekeepers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said the Arab League’s statement appeared to be the first time the organization had formally made such a request in a written document.
The deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to Gaza and the West Bank is unlikely in the near future, as any deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to any conflict would first require authorization from the Security Council. UN troops are usually drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries and do not enter actual combat areas or participate in combat. Israel and Hamas must also agree to the presence of United Nations peacekeepers.
“Peace must be maintained first,” Mr. Haq said. “We will not engage in active fighting, the parties themselves must agree to allow the presence of peacekeepers. We will not intervene as an enemy or occupying force.
The proposal was part of the final statement issued by the coalition’s 22 members after a meeting on Thursday in Manama, Bahrain, where the Gaza war was largely discussed.
In addition to calling for an immediate ceasefire and accusing Israel of blocking those efforts, the Arab League also called for “the deployment of United Nations international protection and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution is implemented”.
Mr Haq said the United Nations was willing to take other steps called for by the Arab League, such as hosting or leading a conference to achieve peace and a ceasefire in the conflict. But he said no specific plans had been discussed.
Asked whether the United States would support the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington that bringing in “more security forces” could hurt Israel’s campaign to dismantle Hamas.
Bahrain’s state news media reported the Arab League statement, which also reiterated the organization’s position that a two-state solution should be based on the borders that existed before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. “Clear measures” to implement such solutions, but also a time frame for doing so.
Speaking at Thursday’s summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a two-state solution was “the only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability”.
“The war in Gaza is an open wound that has the potential to spread throughout the region,” Guterres said, adding that “nothing” justified the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel or “the Palestinian The collective punishment of the people” is justified. “
The Arab League’s call for U.N. peacekeepers comes amid fierce debate over how Gaza should be governed after the war. Ceasefire negotiations were further complicated by Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah. Negotiations have stalled amid deep disagreements between Israel and Hamas over how long the truce should last and the terms of a hostage swap for Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
