Kosovo has agreed to join the short list of countries signing up to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza. The small Muslim-majority Balkan nation signed on Monday a formal agreement to join the United Nations-mandated force, according to a social media post by the United States-backed Board of Peace. “Representatives of the Republic of Kosovo, the Board of Peace & the International Stabilization Force signed the Participating Country Agreement for the inclusion of Kosovo in the ISF,” the post said. The accord, signed by Kosovo Security Force Commander Lieutenant-General Bashkim Jashari and US ISF Commander Major-General Jasper Jeffers, formally establishes the Kosovo’s inclusion in the planned force. “The landmark event underscores Kosovo’s commitment to the ISF mission and its continued support for President [Donald] Trump’s 20-point peace plan”, according to a Board of Peace statement. The plan is a US-Israeli framework agreement introduced one year ago to end the war in Gaza.
Among its provisions, it envisages the creation of a multinational security mission to maintain stability, manage demilitarisation and train a Palestinian police force to oversee security in post-conflict Gaza. Countries confirmed to be contributing troops include Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania and Uganda. Turkiye will not participate after Israel vetoed Ankara’s involvement. Israel’s government approved key legal measures to allow for the entry of the ISF to Gaza in July, with an official saying the force will operate “in full coordination with” the Israeli military, according to the Times of Israel.
But deployment of the ISF has met roadblocks due to disagreements on the timing of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. On Monday, Nikolay Mladenov, high representative for the Board of Peace, said Israel must implement its commitments under the Gaza peace roadmap for the process to move forward, according to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency. “We are still at the point at which we need to make sure that what has been agreed is going to be implemented and is going to change significantly the lives of the people in Gaza,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’re not there yet,” he added, saying discussions were continuing with Israel on “the implementation of their part of the commitments” required to move the process forward. Mladenov told Al Jazeera last month the board had “determined the mechanism for deploying the [ISF] and its deployment locations in the Gaza Strip”. The force’s “advance elements should arrive in the Gaza Strip soon”, he added.
In August, the Trump administration told Congress it is committing more than $206 million to the ISF. Reuters reports the funds will go towards equipment, infrastructure, vehicles and operational costs. An additional $6 million would repurpose US armored vehicles to support the force.
