Israel frets over Jones plan for armed force in West Bank

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 and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 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. "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."