The United States has given its formal backing to Israel’s control over a future Gaza peace force. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Israel, said the force must be composed of “countries that Israel’s comfortable with,” affirming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that he will veto “unacceptable” nations.
Netanyahu stated Sunday that “Israel will determine” the force’s composition, a move he says was “acceptable to the United States.”
This alignment allows Netanyahu to block countries like Turkey, with whom relations have soured. It also reinforces the US-Israel stance that Hamas, which remains armed, will be “exclu[ded]” from any future governance.
This diplomatic consensus is forming as the Trump-brokered truce is fraying. An Israeli strike on Nuseirat camp has been called a “violation” by Hamas.
Furthermore, the slow return of Israeli hostage remains has prompted a public warning from Donald Trump, who is “watching very closely.”