Uganda and Burundi discuss participation in international force in Gaza

Senior military officials from Uganda and Burundi visited Israel last week to discuss the possibility of deploying soldiers in the Gaza Strip as part of the planned international force, AP reported today, Monday. According to the report, Uganda has committed to sending about 1,200 soldiers and has already begun the process of selecting forces for the mission. In Burundi, a final decision has not yet been made, but a military source in the country told AP that the delegation that visited Israel expressed interest in joining the force.

The contacts are taking place against the backdrop of several steps taken by Uganda recently that were perceived as positive gestures toward Israel. Earlier this month, a monument was inaugurated at the old Entebbe airport in memory of Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed in Operation Entebbe in 1976. The commander of the Ugandan army, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, participated in the ceremony.

The planned international force in the Strip is intended to number about 20,000 personnel under the command of American Major General Jasper Jeffers, but at this stage, the commitments are still far from the target. Alongside the 1,200 soldiers promised by Uganda, Morocco has committed to sending up to 500 personnel, while Kosovo, Kazakhstan, and Albania have together committed to only about 80. Indonesia, which planned to send 8,000 soldiers, has frozen the move.