Jordanian paper:US plans to deploy NATO forces in the Palestinian territories
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Jordanian daily newspaper ad-Dostour reported on Monday that the United States plan to subdue the West Bank militarily and deploy international forces in the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper’s correspondent quoted US sources as saying that President Bush’s government is promoting a former US plan, which was unveiled during the besiegement of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
The sources said that the US administration adopted Palestinian President Abbas’ call to deploy international forces in the Gaza Strip, and subsequently the West Bank, as a preliminary move to pave way for the enforcement of the US strategy.
Ad-Dostour reported that “while the deployment of international forces is not accepted by the Palestinian public, the US government asserts that it does not entail the deployment of US forces directly.
“Instead, the US has discussed international forces involving NATO. The new Middle East envoy of the Quartet, Tony Blair, will be in charge of the task. The US Security Coordinator, Keith Dayton, will also take part in the preparation of the plan.”
