Comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday have highlighted the ongoing uncertainty regarding Pakistan’s potential involvement in the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza. While addressing the media, Rubio expressed Washington’s gratitude to Pakistan for contemplating participation in the force. However, he emphasized that the US still owes “them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit.”
That clarification is important, particularly when speculation has outpaced facts. Rubio clarified that “the next step” involves announcing “the border of peace…the Palestinian technocratic group”, enabling stakeholders to “firm up the stabilisation force, including details on financing, rules of engagement, and their role in demilitarisation…”. To put it differently: from Washington’s perspective, the plan is incomplete. Prior to Rubio’s statement, the Foreign Office of Pakistan had indicated that a decision on participation in the ISF for Gaza has not yet been made. Last month, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistan was prepared to contribute troops to a Gaza peace force. However, he also made it clear that Islamabad would not be involved in efforts to disarm Hamas.
It is that distinction which goes to the heart of what sort of mission the ISF is ultimately meant to fulfill. The misunderstanding originates from September, when US President Donald Trump announced a peace plan for Gaza that included the deployment of troops from countries with a Muslim majority during a transitional ‘stabilisation’ phase. The UN Security Council endorsed a US-drafted resolution in November that supported Trump’s plan, which included the deployment of the ISF. However, it is still uncertain whether the proposed force would function as a UN peacekeeping mission or as a peace-enforcing entity. The difference is essential. Many Muslim countries would find a UN peacekeeping mission with a clear ceasefire mandate and UN oversight acceptable, especially as it would........

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