Turkey has been applying sustained pressure to become part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is meant to operate against Hamas in Gaza. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained steadfast that this will not happen. According to information obtained by Israel Hayom, the US continues to back this stance.
So far, no country has formally announced that it will join the ISF. Even states that were expected early on to take part have yet to do so. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, whose country was considered a leading candidate to join the force, said earlier this week that "the questions we raised have not been fully answered. Therefore, there is no final decision regarding the participation of Azerbaijani military personnel."
With this vacuum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to push his country's forces into taking part of the ISF. As Israel Hayom previously reported, Netanyahu vetoed Turkish military involvement at the outset of the process, citing Erdogan's close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, his sympathy for Hamas, and his persistent antisemitism.
The US accepted Israel's position. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said publicly that the administration would not force Israel to accept the participation of countries it does not want involved.
Still, with more than two months having passed since the end of the war and the force still not established, Turkey is renewing its efforts. Recent reports claim Erdogan's forces are already prepared for deployment. At the same time, new messages have been conveyed to Jerusalem urging Israeli officials to reconsider Turkey's inclusion in the ISF. Netanyahu, however, continues to reject these proposals.
