Ottawa: Bangladesh should be excluded from any proposed US-backed “International Stabilisation Force” in Gaza, as its participation would undermine the credibility and neutrality of such a mission, a report said on Wednesday.
According to a report published by Canada-based Zionist media outlet The J.CA, the United States must clearly state that any Gaza peacekeeping force involving Bangladesh will not receive American diplomatic, financial, or military support. The report argued that a force cannot be effective if it includes a country that refuses to recognise Israel or maintain diplomatic relations with it.
The report noted that Bangladeshi officials on January 10 claimed their military should be deployed as part of the proposed stabilisation force in Gaza. They also said that Bangladesh’s National Security Advisor, Khalilur Rahman, an economist and former United Nations official, met members of the Trump administration in Washington to discuss the proposal.
Describing the development as alarming, the report said Bangladesh is “completely unfit” for any role in a future Gaza peacekeeping mission. It stressed that the success of any international force in the Palestinian enclave depends entirely on genuine neutrality.
“Without neutrality, no peacekeeping mission can function,” the report said, adding that the inclusion of Bangladeshi troops should be a “non-starter” for US diplomats and mediators.
The report further stated that countries with a history of hostility towards Israel cannot be trusted as neutral peacekeepers. It pointed out that Bangladesh does not recognise Israel, officially bans trade with it, restricts its citizens from travelling there, and routinely sides with Israel’s adversaries at the United Nations and other international forums.
It also alleged that Bangladesh has persecuted its own citizens for expressing interest in improving ties with Israel, describing these positions as core elements of Bangladeshi state policy rather than minor disagreements.
Raising additional concerns, the report said Bangladesh lifted its ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party in 2024. The party has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation that rejects Israel’s existence and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
The report added that Bangladesh’s accusation in January 2024 that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention should, by itself, disqualify the country from any role in Gaza.
It also condemned Bangladesh’s 2024 anti-Israel statement, calling it outrageous for both what it omitted and for defending the Palestinian Authority’s position by asserting that Palestinians “must not be compelled to negotiate.”
With IANS inputs