The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has had discussions with the United States about potential involvement in a future International Stabilisation Force (ISF), as part of President Donald Trump’s peace plan in Gaza.<\/p>\n
However, the government insists no request for assistance has been made yet.<\/p>\n
ADF Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones said he joined a video call with the United States Central Command \u2014 which defends its nation’s interests across the world \u2014 to discuss their plans in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
“So, I’ve got a fair idea of what is their intention and what it might look like,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s not for me to get ahead of the Australian government though \u2026 it’s for government to determine how they wish to commit to any operations in Gaza.”<\/p>\n
If Australia was asked to assist with an ISF, Vice Admiral Jones said it would likely be in a “coordination and security” capacity.<\/p>\n
Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said military discussions were normal practice and insisted Australia had not yet been asked to make a contribution.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Pat Conroy says no request has been made for Australia to make a contribution. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)<\/p>\n
“Our military, as is appropriate, talks to other militaries about contingency planning and that’s the normal course of action,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If a request is received, we would consider it \u2026 and the government would take a decision on that.”<\/p>\n
Creating a temporary International Stabilisation Force is a key element of Mr Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which makes clear the US would work with “Arab and international partners” to “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field”.<\/p>\n
“This force will be the long-term internal security solution,” the plan stated.<\/p>\n
The political theatre of Trump’s Middle East trip <\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump’s unconventional and often haphazard approach to diplomacy means there are countless questions about what has driven him to date, and what might determine whether he stays engaged in the Middle East peace process in the future.<\/p>\n “The ISF will work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces.”<\/p>\n According to US media reports, negotiations on which countries will contribute troops to the force are still ongoing<\/a>, but Arab and Muslim nations are emerging as countries most likely to assist.<\/p>\n