BRUSSELS: European Union foreign ministers will discuss next week a proposal for the bloc to take the lead in training 3,000 Palestinian police officers with the aim of later deploying them in Gaza, according to a document. In a paper produced by the bloc’s diplomatic arm ahead of the gathering of ministers on November 20, officials outlined options for contributing to the implementation of a 20-point plan for Gaza proposed by US President Donald Trump. Israel and Palestinian group Hamas agreed in October to the first phase of the blueprint, but the implementation of further parts of the deal remains
highly uncertain.
In the document, the European External Action Service outlined proposals to expand the bloc’s two civilian missions in the region, which focus on border assistance and supporting the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policing and justice reforms. The EU’s police support mission could “take leadership in training the Palestinian police force in Gaza by providing direct training and support to approx. 3,000 Palestinian police officers (on the PA pay-roll) from Gaza, with a view to training the full 13,000 Palestinian police force,” it said.
The paper also raises the idea of expanding the EU’s civilian border monitoring mission in Rafah to other border crossing points. But prospects for the EU moving ahead with these initiatives are unclear. Russia on Thursday proposed its own draft of a UN resolution on Gaza in a challenge to a US effort to pass its own text that would endorse President Trump’s plan.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks during a planned peacekeeping operation in the war-torn enclave of Gaza, the defence minister said. The world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia is among the countries with which the United States has discussed plans for a multinational stabilisation force in Gaza, which include Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar. Last week, media reported a draft readied by Washington for such a force that would authorise it to “use all necessary measures” to demilitarise Gaza, secure its borders, protect civilians and aid delivery, and support a newly trained Palestinian police force.
Indonesia says there is no decision yet on when troops will be deployed and what mandate they will have, underscoring the uncertainty over establishing an international presence in Gaza. “We’ve prepared a maximum of 20,000 troops, but the specifications will revolve around health and construction,” Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters. “We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action.” President Prabowo Subianto and Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is making a state visit to Indonesia from Friday, would discuss the initiative of US President Donald Trump, he added. “We’re waiting for the possibilities of a role Indonesia can take for peace efforts.” He did not say when troops would be deployed or how many, but said the decision would be made by Prabowo.
If there was a United Nations resolution, Prabowo told the U.N. General Assembly in September, Indonesia was prepared to deploy 20,000 or more troops in Gaza to help secure peace. Indonesia would require a UN Security Council mandate to participate, Foreign Minister Sugiono said this month.
Long an advocate of a two-state solution, Indonesia has often condemned Israel’s violence in Gaza and sent humanitarian aid. Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. But analysts say Prabowo’s foreign policy stance has shifted slightly, pointing to last month’s U.N. speech that repeated his call for an independent Palestinian state while stressing the need to guarantee Israel’s safety and security. — Reuters
