Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have declined requests to contribute troops to a postwar peacekeeping force in Gaza, according to an Arab official and another source familiar with the matter, as reported by The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
The Arab official explained that deploying troops in Gaza would be perceived as “protecting Israel from the Palestinians,” which is why Amman, Doha, and Riyadh opposed the effort being led by the United States to secure Gaza after the conflict.
In contrast, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have expressed a willingness to participate in the peacekeeping effort, according to three officials who spoke to The Times of Israel in June.
A senior Emirati official, Lana Nusseibah, publicly supported this stance in an op-ed in the Financial Times last month. She called for the creation of a “temporary international mission” in Gaza to address the humanitarian crisis, establish law and order, and prepare the way for governance and the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under a single, legitimate Palestinian Authority.
Nusseibah clarified that the UAE’s involvement would be contingent on the initiative being US-led and part of a broader plan aimed at achieving a two-state solution—a framework that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected.
Egypt has also placed similar conditions on its participation in the postwar Gaza peacekeeping force, according to the same officials.
The US has been seeking to recruit countries for this initiative, with the aim of reinstalling the Palestinian Authority as the ruling body in Gaza while acknowledging that Ramallah needs time to reform. A temporary security and governing force would be necessary to prevent Hamas from regaining control.
During visits to Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan in June, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed leaders that the US had made progress on the issue, gaining support from Cairo and Abu Dhabi for the creation of a force that would work alongside local Palestinian officers, according to the three officials.
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