UAE proposes temporary international mission to restore order in Gaza

By Ibrahim Khazen

ABU DHABI, UAE (AA) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Thursday it considers deploying a temporary international mission upon an invitation from the Palestinian government to establish order and lay the foundation for a qualified government capable of uniting the West Bank and Gaza under a single, legitimate Palestinian authority.

This proposal was announced by UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy in a statement published by the Emirati Foreign Ministry.

The announcement comes amid ongoing Western and Arab discussions about post-war Gaza, which has been ravaged by a destructive Israeli war for the past ten months.

“The UAE has dispatched 39,756 tons of urgent supplies to the Gaza Strip through 8 ships, 1,271 trucks, and 337 flights,” the statement said.

“A return to the status quo before October 7 2023 cannot achieve the desired sustainable peace for both the Palestinians, Israelis, and the wider international community,” it added.

The statement said consolidating peace and security and ending the humanitarian suffering “should begin by the deployment of a temporary international mission in Gaza with a formal invitation from the Palestinian government.”

The new Palestinian government must ensure “transparent operations aligned with the highest global standards,” it added.

“This international mission will be responsible for efficiently responding to the humanitarian crisis the citizens in Gaza are facing, establishing law and order, laying the groundwork for governance, and paving the way to reunite Gaza and the West Bank under a single, legitimate Palestinian Authority,” the statement said.

The Palestinian political landscape has been divided since 2007, with Hamas controlling Gaza, while the West Bank is governed by administrations formed by the Fatah movement, led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 39,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio