France is advancing an initiative aimed at establishing an “International Stabilization Mission” that would replace the IDF in Gaza and work to disarm Hamas after the war ends, according to a draft of the proposal obtained by The Times of Israel.

The proposal aims to operationalize an internationally-backed declaration from July calling for a two-state solution, the disarmament of Hamas and the gradual transfer of internal security in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority.

The proposal envisions several states leading the transitional force and specifically names Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar as preferred candidates.

The draft “outlines a pragmatic pathway to deploy — in a short timeframe — a UN-mandated, regionally-led temporary stabilization mission in Palestine as provided for in the New York Declaration, once the environment is sufficiently permissive.”

The New York Declaration was cosponsored by France and Saudi Arabia in July and was subsequently endorsed by Arab countries, including Qatar and Egypt, before being enshrined in a UN General Assembly resolution earlier this month.

The declaration stated that signatories “support the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority and under the aegis of the United Nations and in line with UN principles.”

“This mission, which could evolve depending on the needs, would provide protection to the Palestinian civilian population, support transfer of internal security responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, provide capacity building support for the Palestinian State and its security forces, and security guarantees for Palestine and Israel, including monitoring of the ceasefire and of a future peace agreement, in full respect of their sovereignty,” the New York Declaration added.

The French proposal for the International Stabilization Mission, obtained by The Times of Israel, gets more specific about the mandate and scope of the mission, serving as a potential precursor for a UN Security Council resolution that would establish the........

© The Times of Israel