Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon laid out Israel’s cautious support for the resolution put forward by the US regarding the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, noting, however, that the force should not become another “UNIFIL,” in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Danon emphasized firm conditions to ensure the force does not become “another UNIFIL,” a reference to the long-criticized UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.
“The US draft resolution continues the spirit of the Trump plan, which Israel welcomed,” Danon said. “
We would like to see the involvement of other countries in the region, especially those capable of dealing with the disarmament of Hamas. But we must ensure we don’t create an ineffective mechanism, like UNIFIL.”
According to Danon, Jerusalem will closely monitor Security Council negotiations over the coming days. Israel’s immediate priorities remain clear: the return of the fallen and the hostages and the progression to a second phase of the plan, which is the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military infrastructure.
Asked whether Israel opposes a UNIFIL, Blue Helmet, or UN-style peacekeeping mission, Danon was diplomatic but firm.
“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” he said. “You want something constructive and effective, not an international presence that looks good on paper but actually destabilizes the situation.”
Danon acknowledged that several countries are reluctant to deploy forces without a Security Council mandate, suggesting the ISF could take several weeks to materialize even after a resolution is passed.
“It’s a process,” he said. “But Israel’s red line is effectiveness. We can’t afford a symbolic force that doesn’t act.”
PA is too weak for the Gaza role now, Danon says
The ambassador was blunt when asked whether the Palestinian Authority should be part of the ISF or future governance structures in Gaza.
“We’ve seen the weakness of the PA in Judea and Samaria,” Danon said.
“Leaving aside politics and looking purely at capabilities, they simply don’t have them. They can’t control large areas even in the West Bank, so expectations for them in Gaza are unrealistic today.”
Danon, however, noted that the US plan envisions a future role for the PA, conditional on significant reforms and capacity-building. “But that’s a long way off,” he added.
For Israel, the measure of success will not be diplomatic symbolism but tangible results.
“Success means results on the ground, the disarmament of Hamas,” Danon stressed. “We know the tunnel infrastructure that must be dismantled. The ISF has to have the ability and the authority to act, to neutralize those tunnels, to remove Hamas’s weapons.”
He warned that if Hamas is allowed to survive militarily, “it will be a failure of the entire mission.”