[Ha'aretz] Aluf Benn - Gen. James Jones, who is expected to become Obama's national security adviser, supports the deployment of an international force in the West Bank instead of the Israel Defense Forces. He also opposes Israel's demand to retain extensive security control over the territories even after a Palestinian state is established. Jones served as Secretary of State Rice's special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian security issues over the past year, tasked with formulating security arrangements between Israel and the future Palestinian state. Israel has proposed security arrangements which recognize that its major population centers are vulnerable to rocket and suicide attacks from the West Bank, and that security control of the Jordan Valley is essential to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the West Bank. Israel also demands complete demilitarization of the future Palestinian state, Israeli control of border crossings, and Israeli early warning stations in the mountains.
2008-11-24 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive