The United States is floating an idea to temporarily deploy NATO troops in the West Bank after Israeli troops eventually withdraw, a newspaper said on Wednesday, quoting Israeli defence officials.
General James Jones, the US special Middle East envoy, is spearheading the idea, the Jerusalem Post reported.
It said Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak had been briefed but had not finalised his position. Israel has traditionally been hostile to any suggestions of using foreign troops to help achieve peace in the region.
Under such a deal, third-party troops would be stationed in the West Bank to secure the area between the time of an Israeli withdrawal and when the Palestinian Authority is able to take over full security control.
"The deployment of such a force has come up in talks, and Jnes is known to be working on it," a senior defence official was quoted as saying. "At the moment, it's just an idea and yet to be accepted or adopted by Israel."
Asked about the report, US embassy spokesman Stewart Tuttle said only that "General Jones hasn't said anything in public about any discussions he may be having in private, and it is very early in the process."
Jones, a former commander of the US Marine Corps and NATO military chief, was named in November as US envoy on Middle East security issues.
One concern for Israel is the degree to which its troops would still have freedom of operation in the West Bank under such a deal, the Post said.
"If they fire a Qassam rocket into Israel, will we be able to respond, or will we need to rely on the foreign troops staioned there?" one defence official was quoted as asking.
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