'When we were in trouble, Palestine did not protect us' - Azerbaijan will not send soldiers to Gaza stabilization force

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday that his country has no intention of sending troops to participate in the Gaza International Stabilization Force (ISF). 

In an interview with Azerbaijani television channels, Aliyev said that his government had been in contact with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding joining the ISF. 

"We prepared a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and provided it to the American side,” Aliyev said. “No participation in peacekeeping forces is envisaged.” 

“I am not considering participation in hostilities outside Azerbaijan at all,” he added. 

President Ilham Aliyev says that Azerbaijan will not participate in the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in the Gaza Strip or participate in “peace enforcement” operations.

“Participation in battles outside Azerbaijan’s borders is not envisaged by me at all,” Aliyev said… pic.twitter.com/vCGmQNYf9Q

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) January 5, 2026

Aliyev went further, saying that the Palestinians have not been particularly supportive of Azerbaijan in the past, despite Azerbaijani support for the Palestinian cause. 

“When we were in trouble, we were left to our own fate. No one protected us,” Aliyev continued. “Furthermore, with all due respect and sympathy for Palestine, Palestine did not particularly protect us either.” 

Israel supported Azerbaijan by selling weapons to the country during its conflict with Armenia, a position which drew some criticism from the Israeli public, which is largely sympathetic to the Armenians, due to the Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. 

Noting that there were resolutions from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) supported by all member states, the Azerbaijani president said, “We are grateful to all countries for that, just as Azerbaijan has always supported Palestine and the creation of a Palestinian state in the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the OIC.” 

However, he said that Azerbaijani support for Palestine has been greater than the converse.  

“The Palestinian Embassy operates in Azerbaijan with the support of Azerbaijani financial assistance,” Aliyev noted. “Therefore, I have always maintained that the affairs of Arab countries should be resolved by the Arab countries themselves.” 

The announcement follows previous statements by Azerbaijani government officials expressing doubts about joining the ISF. Last month, Hikmet Hajiyev, an assistant to Aliyev, cited issues related to the ISF’s mandate and the scope of its work, saying it would be difficult for Azerbaijan to participate without clear answers. 

While the UN Security Council voted in November to approve Resolution 2803 – accepting the Trump-proposed Gaza peace plan and calling for the establishment of the ISF – there has so far been little progress in forming the force, amid disagreements over its scope of responsibilities and whether it would be tasked with disarming Hamas in Gaza. 

Many Muslim-majority countries involved in the Gaza peace process continue to support the establishment of the ISF, however, there are sharp disagreements regarding which countries should participate, and what role the force should have. Most of the Muslim countries are opposed to any active confrontation between the ISF and Hamas. 

In October, King Abdullah II of Jordan said that his country would not send troops to participate over fears of a confrontation with Hamas. The United Arab Emirates have also declined to send troops, preferring to focus on humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts. 

Turkey, a growing rival to Israel in the Middle East, has volunteered to send troops, but Israeli leaders have firmly opposed the participation of the Muslim country, citing a history of antagonistic and irredentist remarks by Turkish leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, over the country’s (Turkey's) desire to retake Jerusalem.