Why Israel does not want Asim Munir’s troops in Gaza peacekeeping force?

Pakistan Army Commander Asim Munir.

Like many other countries, Pakistan has offered to deploy its troops to Gaza as part of an international peacekeeping force deployed under the finalized peace plan between Israel and the militant group Hamas. However, the Israeli leadership reportedly does not want Pakistan to have such a role in Gaza. Let’s analyze this situation and its various reasons here.

First, let’s understand the situation in Gaza. US President Donald Trump has brokered the formulation of a Gaza peace plan to stop years of conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territories. The historic plan has several important aspects, including an immediate ceasefire and the deployment of the international stabilization force (ISF) to Gaza. Several countries, including Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar, have offered to contribute their soldiers to this force. Pakistani army chief Asim Munir also announced plans to send troops to Gaza. But things don’t seem to be going the way he wanted.

The number one reason why Israel did not accept Pakistan’s offer is the neighboring country’s questionable relations with Hamas. Earlier this year, Hamas militants were given a grand reception in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) where members of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba held a rally with them. Another important reason is the Pakistani military’s well-known ties to home-grown terrorists as well as other unstable elements around the world. For example, Munir recently met with Libyan Marshal Belkasim Haftar and offered to sell weapons to the country, which is under heavy sanctions.

Finally, the Pakistani military has a poor track record, especially in the context of international deployment. The cases in question are:
– In 1970, the Pakistani army was called to help in the Black September Operation in Jordan. There, the Pakistani army under Zia-ul-Haq is known to have killed more civilians than the rebels.
– In 1993, the Pakistani army was deployed against rebel groups in Somalia. However, 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush by Somali militias.
– In 2000, thousands of Pakistani soldiers were sent to Congo with the United Nations (UN) mission. However, the Pakistani military there was accused of sexual harassment, abuse and smuggling.