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Multinational Forces in Gaza Won't Help Israel, Israeli Diplomacy Should Focus on Egypt

[Ynet News] Dore Gold - According to past experience, international force deployments have been extremely problematic in areas still afflicted by active combat operations. Such forces spend most of their energies seeking to protect themselves from attacks by the more aggressive party and, as a result, these forces inevitably decide to appease the party that threatens them more. For example, UNIFIL established intimate ties with Hizbullah over the years, in order to protect itself. It failed to address serious cease-fire violations by Hizbullah and even refused to take any effective action when the organization kidnapped Israeli soldiers in broad daylight. Many times UNIFIL was more preoccupied with Israel Air Force surveillance flights than with the flow of new Iranian weaponry to Hizbullah through Syria. Israeli diplomacy should focus right now on the role of Egypt. Cairo has no interest in the emergence of a state belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood (Hamas defines itself as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood) along its northeastern border. Prime Minister Olmert should focus in his meeting with Bush on obtaining a firm commitment from Egypt to at long last seal the Philadelphi route. European monitors deployed on the Egypt-Gaza border have not blocked the massive flow of arms and trained terrorist personnel that have been flowing into Gaza without interruption. Israel should not support any initiative involving international forces that could block the freedom of movement of the Israel Defense Forces in the event that the security situation in Gaza deteriorates even further.
2007-06-15 01:00:00
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