Paris proposes installment of an international force in Palestine

Sunday May 04, 2008 12:42 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Paris has proposed installing an international peace-keeping force in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Israeli Jerusalem Post newspaper reported Sunday.

Ac cording to the JP, Israeli Prime Minister, Fransou' Filoun, had informed the American-Jewish committee last Thursday that France and Europe can, whenever possible, participate in an international force to bolster the Palestinian Authority's security services.

Such a proposal comes ahead France's rotating presidency of the European Union, which had dispatched about 70 observers to the Rafah crossing terminal in southern Gaza Strip, following a U.S-brokered terminal operation in 2005.

The rulin-Hamas party in Gaza had already sent out rejection to the notion , saying it would deal with such a force as an occupying power, once it is installed.

The French PM believed that both the Israelis and Palestinians should produce painful concessions for reaching a peace deal and that Israel should freeze settlements construction and ease restrictions of Palestinian movement.

He also urged the Palestinians to guarantee the security of the state of Israel by preventing homemade shells fire attacks onto southern Israel and relasing the captured Israeli soldier, Gil'ad Shalit, Hamas and other groups continue to hold hostage in Gaza.

The French proposal comes as the ruling Hamas party along with 12 other resistance factions nationwide and in the Diaspora, agreed last Wednesday to an Egyptian-mediate ceasefire deal to end hostilities between the two sides.

international | peace process | news report rami at imemc dot org