Ottawa, Jan 14 (IANS) If the United States wants its proposed ‘International Stabilisation Force’ in Gaza to be credible and functional, it must make it clear that any force involving Bangladesh will not receive American diplomatic, financial, or military backing. The peacekeeping force cannot include a nation that refuses diplomatic ties with Israel, a report said on Wednesday.
“Bangladeshi officials issued statements on January 10 saying that their military should be deployed as part of the planned ‘International Stabilisation Force’ in the Gaza Strip. They also claimed that their National Security Advisor, Khalilur Rahman, also an economist and a former UN official, met with members of the Trump administration in Washington and discussed the idea,” a report in Canada-based Zionist media, The J.CA, detailed.
It stressed that the situation is concerning, as Bangladesh is completely unfit for any role in future Gaza peacekeeping forces.
“The success of any future ‘International Stabilisation Force’ in the Palestinian enclave hinges on one principle: genuine neutrality. Without it, no peacekeeping mission can function. That is why the deployment of Bangladeshi soldiers to the Strip as part of a future force should be a non-starter for US diplomats and mediators,” the report mentioned.
It is imperative, the report said, for the American government to understand that nations with a record of hostility toward Israel cannot be trusted as neutral peacekeepers.
“Bangladesh does not recognise Israel; officially prohibits trade with Israel; bars its citizens from travelling there; and consistently sides with Israel’s enemies at the United Nations and at other international bodies. It has also persecuted its own citizens who have shown interest in a rapprochement with Israel. These are far from insignificant positions; they are core elements of Bangladeshi state policy toward Israel,” it stated.
“Also troubling is that in 2024, Bangladesh rescinded a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, which has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood rejects Israel’s existence and seeks the destruction of the Jewish state,” it added.
According to the report, the fact that Bangladesh accused Israel of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide in January 2024 should alone prevent it from having any role in Gaza.
It condemned Bangladesh’s 2024 anti-Israel “statement” as outrageous, highlighting not only what was omitted, but also how it defended the Palestinian Authority’s intransigence by claiming that “the Palestinian people must not be compelled to negotiate.”
–IANS
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