Israel and Western nations, headed by the United States, have been discussing a plan to bring an international force to patrol Judea and Samaria, Reuters News Agency reported. The proposal also would include the Gaza region, but planners admit that the control of Hamas would make it difficult to deploy forces there.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) previously has objected to the presence of foreign troops, and opinion in the Israeli government was negative before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's latest proposals to turn over most of Judea and Samaria to the PA.
"The idea of an international force in the PA areas is a preliminary idea," that has not been discussed at the Cabinet level, said Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin. However, Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon, who has led the program to divide Jerusalem with the PA, said that government sentiment has shifted from previous opposition. "NATO and UNIFIL are considered in Israel as a success. In the past we were totally against intervention," he told Reuters.