US Proposes Italy Join as Founding Member of Gaza International Stabilization Force... Courts Meloni

Spotlight on Trump's 'Peace Committee' Setback
Bloomberg: "Deployment Burden Eased"

Bloomberg reported on the 23rd (local time) that the Donald Trump administration in the United States has requested Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to join as a founding member of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for maintaining peace in the Gaza Strip.

Yonhap News Agency

This move is interpreted as an attempt to break through the deadlock in President Trump's Middle East peace initiative by persuading the right-leaning Prime Minister Meloni, at a time when key allied countries are distancing themselves from the plan.

According to the report, U.S. diplomatic authorities recently delivered a proposal to the office of Prime Minister Meloni and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting Italy's participation as a founding member of the ISF.

The conditions presented by the United States did not include the deployment of Italian combat troops. Instead, the U.S. requested support for training future police forces responsible for security in the Gaza Strip, as well as the exercise of diplomatic influence over Arab countries, Israel, and Palestine. The Italian government has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.

This proposal comes as President Trump's Middle East peace initiative faces significant obstacles. In October of last year, President Trump announced a 20-point plan to establish peace in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by over two years of war and where approximately 72,000 people (according to Hamas figures) have died.

However, the plan's progress has been delayed due to the failure to reconcile key differences between Israel and Hamas. The United States is also struggling to secure countries willing to contribute troops to the International Stabilization Force.

In particular, President Trump has faced diplomatic pressure as the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries largely did not attend the recent signing ceremony for the Gaza Strip Peace Committee. The Peace Committee has drawn controversy for including provisions such as a 'lifetime chairmanship' and a '1 billion dollar contribution' in its draft charter, and there have been criticisms that it is an attempt to create an international organization to replace the United Nations.

President Trump signaled retaliatory tariffs against French President Emmanuel Macron, who refused to sign, and withdrew an invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who effectively criticized the Trump administration at the Davos Forum, demonstrating a hardline response.

Italy also postponed signing the Peace Committee's charter, citing potential conflicts with its constitution. However, Prime Minister Meloni has continued a cautious and balanced diplomatic approach, focusing on managing U.S.-Italy relations following President Trump's return to power.

At a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz the previous day, Prime Minister Meloni defended President Trump and expressed her understanding of his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

As the United States has presented conciliatory conditions that exclude the burden of deploying combat troops, Bloomberg noted that attention is now focused on whether Italy will decide to participate in the International Stabilization Force.