Turkey challenges Netanyahu on Gaza force role
A senior Turkish official said on Tuesday that no final decision had been made regarding Turkey's participation in the Gaza international force, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that no Turkish forces would set foot in the Palestinian enclave.
In a speech on Monday to Israel's parliament, Netanyahu asserted that Turkey and Qatar would have no authority, influence or soldiers involved in the post-war management of the Gaza Strip.
"Turkish soldiers and Qatari soldiers will not be in the strip," Netanyahu declared from the podium.
However, a senior Turkish official told Middle East Eye that Turkey remained interested in contributing troops to the Gaza International Stabilisation Force, as envisioned in October's US-brokered peace plan.
"We are working on it," the official said.
Asked about Netanyahu's statement that Turkish troops would not set foot in Gaza, the official said the matter was still under discussion among the relevant parties. The official then added sarcastically:
"Netanyahu also said Turkey wouldn't be part of the Board of Peace, what happened there?"
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump invited his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to join the Board of Peace, a high-level body tasked with overseeing the administration and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
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The board, which has yet to be formally announced, will be chaired by Trump, who brokered the Gaza ceasefire deal alongside mediator countries including Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.
Sources said all of the parties that negotiated the plan announced in Sharm el-Sheikh would be represented on the Board of Peace, despite Israeli opposition to Erdogan's inclusion.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also named to the Gaza Executive Board, which will support the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) and the High Representative's Office in addressing day-to-day issues concerning the enclave.
'It would be difficult for any mechanism without Turkey to gain the trust of the Palestinian people'
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
On Monday, Netanyahu sought to downplay the roles of Turkey and Qatar in the Gaza Executive Board while confirming that Israel and the US had disagreements over the issue.
However, the composition of the three entities, the NCAG, the Board of Peace Executive Board and the Gaza Executive Board, indicates that Turkish and Qatari officials will indeed be involved in day-to-day reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Erdogan said that the international stabilisation force would not gain the trust of the Palestinian people without Turkey's participation.
"It should be known that the countries party to the Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration, including Turkey, are the most legitimate actors in this process," he said.
"You will appreciate that, in this sense, it would be difficult for any mechanism without Turkey to gain the trust of the Palestinian people."
Erdogan also argued that Turkey is uniquely positioned to take on the mission, citing its security and diplomatic channels with Israel.
"We are in a key position for such a mission due to our deep historical ties with the Palestinian side, the security and diplomacy channels we have maintained with Israel in the past, and our regional influence as a Nato member country," he said.
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