Estonia would consider sending peacekeeping troops to Gaza if US proposed it
Estonia would discuss the potential deployment of its troops to a U.S.-proposed Israel-Gaza peacekeeping monitoring mission, if a concrete proposal were made.
Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur (Reform Party) told ERR that while there have been preliminary discussions on the theme, it is too early to take a position ahead of any concrete proposal from the U.S.
"We haven't gone into substance yet; there have only been very light preliminary talks. Naturally, much depends on what the United States itself decides – whether it will take a leading role in this process or not," Pevkur said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week he wants to send an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to Gaza to enforce a ceasefire, and that "a lot of countries" had offered to take part. Under the Rubio plan, Israel would be able to veto participating states.
The U.S. may seek a UN mandate for the deployment, since some countries require the approval of the world organization before sending their troops, Rubio added.
Pevkur said in any case deploying an Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) international contingent needs Riigikogu approval, preceded by analysis of the plan. "Before we go to the Riigikogu, we must have a very deep understanding of the mandate – what will be done there, what the objectives are, and what the roles of the participating countries will be."
A detailed discussion can only begin once the U.S. has officially presented its plan, Pevkur added: "No specific plan or proposal has come from anywhere," he added. "We will be keeping our eyes and ears open via the diplomatic channels and in the military context, and, where necessary, make the appropriate decisions."
While Rubio had stated that some nations have already offered to deploy troops to the proposed mission, Estonia has not done so, Pevkur added.
At the same time, a peacekeeping mission of some description will be needed in relation to the Israel-Gaza war, now into its third year.
"It is clear that peace must somehow be ensured in that region, just as peace will need to be ensured one day in Ukraine," Pevkur said.
Stoicescu: The situation in Gaza is still too raw
Chairman of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200) agreed that a UN international military presence in the region will be necessary to keep the peace, but the situation in Gaza is still "too raw" for that presence to go ahead or to involve EDF personnel.
"Hamas has not been fully disarmed as the peace agreement stipulated," Stoicescu stressed. "This is a very important aspect — whether Hamas still has weapons and whether this so-called settling of scores continues in the Gaza Strip."
The UN could deploy either a peacekeeping or a peacemaking operation, he said, explaining the difference.
"When we talk about UN peacekeeping, it presupposes that order has been more or less restored — that in the Gaza Strip there are functioning local authorities, police forces, and so on, with UN peacekeepers there in support," he said.
"However, if we're talking about a UN peacemaking operation — when the violence is ongoing and there are armed groups, in addition to Hamas, still fighting each other — that would be a completely different story. And in a situation like that, I could hardly think of a single country that would be willing to send its peacekeepers into Gaza, under those conditions," the Eesti 200 MP went on, noting also that if any discussions on the issue have already taken place in Estonia, he has not been involved in them.
Regular EDF personnel are now deployed internationally in fewer numbers than in recent years.
The EDF concluded its primary mission in Iraq, in which infantry company units formed from the Scouts Battalion (up to 110 service members) had been serving since the spring of 2023. The EDF had also taken part in the French-led Operation Barkhane 2018–2022, in Mali.
The Israel-Gaza War followed the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel which killed around 1,200 people, with over 250 others taken into Gaza as hostages. An estimated 68,280 Palestinians have been killed by the Israel military campaign which followed, according to figures the UN sees as credible.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
