Trump’s Gaza Peace Plan Teeters on Brink of Collapse as ‘International Stabilisation Force’ Faces Impossible Mission
- Experts warn that the temporary ‘International Stabilisation Force’ will struggle to disarm Hamas and maintain stability in war-torn Gaza
- The force’s mission is considered one of the most complex ever attempted, with a catastrophic humanitarian situation and heavily militarised borders
- Questions over the force’s legality and support from the international community threaten to derail the entire peace plan
In a desperate bid to bring peace to Gaza, US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan has proposed the creation of a temporary “International Stabilisation Force” (ISF). However, experts warn that the mission is doomed to fail, with the force facing an impossible task in disarming Hamas and maintaining stability in the war-torn region.
Andreas Krieg, an associate professor in the School of Security at King’s College London, said the mission would be “one of the most complex ever attempted”. “Gaza today is not like Kosovo or East Timor in the late 1990s: infrastructure has collapsed almost completely, borders are heavily militarised, and the humanitarian situation is catastrophic,” Dr Krieg said.
The ISF’s mission would be to disarm Hamas, maintain stability in Gaza, train vetted Palestinian police, and provide “long-term security”. However, the makeup of the force, its legal mandate to enter Gaza, and its rules of engagement have not been defined, sparking concerns over the mission’s legitimacy.
“Without a UNSC mandate, the legitimacy of such a deployment would be contested, and Arab/Muslim contributors would be wary of being seen as subcontractors for Israel,” Dr Krieg warned.
Security analysts agree that the disarmament requirement is the most ambitious and least realistic part of the brief. Erik Skare, a historian from Oslo University who researches Palestinian Islamist groups, said: “Disarmament is the most ambitious and least realistic part of the brief. A stabilisation force can degrade, contain and monitor weapons, but full disarmament requires a credible political process, amnesty, and reintegration packages.”
The lack of a genuine political resolution in the Trump plan may also mean continued violence is inevitable. “Without timelines or measurable benchmarks, the mission risks becoming permanent,” Dr Krieg said. “Contributors will hesitate to deploy without a clear exit plan, and Palestinians will reject the force if it looks indefinite.”
As the situation in Gaza remains dire, the international community holds its breath, waiting to see if Trump’s peace plan can bring an end to the conflict. However, with the ISF facing an impossible mission, it seems unlikely that peace will be achieved anytime soon.