Israel worried by Jones proposal for int'l force in W. Bank
By YAAKOV KATZ The Jerusalem Post 09/08/2010 05:43
www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=187516

American proposal to establish a multi-national force in the West Bank could
be way to expedite a withdrawal following any peace deal with PA.

Israel is concerned about an American proposal to establish a multi-national
force in the West Bank as one of the ways to expedite an Israeli withdrawal
following any peace deal with the Palestinian Authority.

The idea is being promoted by US National Security Advisor James Jones, who
served as security coordinator to the West Bank under former secretary of
state Condoleezza Rice.

He also served as the top NATO commander in Europe, and therefore is
believed to be a proponent of using multinational forces to solve conflicts.

Last week, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak endorsed the concept of an
international force in the West Bank in an op-ed piece in The New York
Times.

The IDF, with the backing of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, is opposed to the
idea and believes that before the Palestinians receive control over the West
Bank, they need to be able to independently prevent the creation of a
terrorist state.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has also voiced reservations about an
international deployment.

Ahead of the peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, which opened last
week in Washington, the IDF's Planning Branch drafted a paper outlining
Israel's security needs regarding the West Bank. It was approved by Barak
and Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.

The outline refers to three main commitments required of the Palestinians
prior to any IDF withdrawal: that there be no rockets smuggled into the West
Bank, no resumption of terrorist attacks like those that occurred during the
second intifada, and no deployment in the West Bank by foreign military
forces, for example by Iraqi troops, should that country one day pose a new
military threat to Israel.

"Experience shows us that we cannot trust multi-national forces to do the
job like in Lebanon," one senior defense official said recently. "If the
Palestinians are not capable of preventing the rise of terrorism
independently, they are not yet ready to receive control of the territory."

Another idea being floated is the deployment of a pan-Arab force in the Gaza
Strip as a way to assist the PA in restoring a foothold there. It was ousted
from Gaza during Hamas's violent takeover three years ago.

Defense officials said the recent Egyptian crackdown on the smuggling of
weaponry into Gaza - which continued Tuesday with the reported discovery of
a number of significant arms caches in the Sinai - was part of an effort to
isolate Hamas.