Netanyahu: We Will Determine Unwanted Forces in Gaza and America Agrees with Us

SadaNews - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, Sunday, that Israel, as a sovereign state, will determine its security policy and the international forces it accepts to work with in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu added at the outset of a cabinet meeting: "We control our security, and we have made it clear to international powers that Israel will determine the unacceptable forces for us, and that is how we act and will continue to act."

According to Reuters, he stated: "This, of course, is acceptable to the United States, as expressed by its senior representatives in the past few days."

Israeli newspaper "Maariv" reported on Tuesday that Netanyahu sent a message to the United States confirming Tel Aviv's rejection of any Turkish presence in the Gaza Strip.

This came amid reports of intensive communications by the U.S. administration to form an international force in Gaza following a ceasefire.

The newspaper explained that Netanyahu expressed this stance during a series of meetings he had with senior American officials tasked with following up on the second phase of President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.

"Maariv" quoted diplomatic sources stating that Netanyahu emphasized in his discussions with U.S. President's envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, that "any attempt to involve Turkey in the Gaza scene represents a crossing of an Israeli red line."

According to the same sources, Netanyahu considers Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a "hostile party" in the region, claiming its political and financial support for Hamas over the past years makes its participation in any international efforts, even humanitarian or civilian, unacceptable for Israel, in his opinion.

These statements come at a time when Washington is intensifying its communications with Israel and several Arab and Western capitals to set up post-war arrangements, including the formation of a multinational force to oversee security and temporarily manage border crossings, yet Israel's rejection of a Turkish role adds, according to the newspaper, "a new political obstacle" to efforts to expand the base of international partners in this plan.

American Proposals

On Saturday, the United States revealed a list of countries that might contribute to deploying an "International Stability Force" in the Gaza Strip, mentioning two Arab countries among them.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that "several countries" are interested in joining an international stability force that might be deployed in Gaza, but they need more details about the mission and rules of engagement.

Rubio added while on his way from Israel to Qatar, that the United States could call for a United Nations resolution supporting the force so that more countries can participate.

He noted that the "United States is engaged in talks with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey" in this regard, confirming "interest from Indonesia and Azerbaijan."