Foreign Ministry Director General Aaron Abramovitz, for instance, recently
told French officials that "UNIFIL is not doing the job for which it was
established, a fact that makes Israel question the value of employing a
multinational force in Gaza."

Gov't task force mulls international presence in Gaza Strip
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 09:08 06/02/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/951559.html

An interministerial task force established a few weeks ago is examining the
possibility of stationing an international force in the Gaza Strip.

Among other things, the panel is analyzing the similarities and differences
between Lebanon and Gaza and assessing the effectiveness of UNIFIL, the
multinational UN force in Lebanon.

Most of the preparatory work on this issue is being conducted by the Israel
Defense Forces Planning Directorate. The task force is headed by Colonel
Assaf Orion, head of the directorate's foreign relations unit, who is also
in charge of liaison with UNIFIL and other multinational forces in the area,
such as the American-led force in Sinai. The panel includes representatives
of the foreign and defense ministries and the National Security Council.

According to one defense official, the task force's goal is to prepare
options for the government should one of two events occur. The first is a
major ground operation in which Israel would reconquer parts of Gaza, since
afterward, it might want to transfer control of the territory to a
multinational force. The second is final-status negotiations with the
Palestinian Authority, since the security arrangements under any deal might
include a multinational force in Palestine.

The panel is examining various models for an international force, with
particular emphasis on UNIFIL. For instance, it is considering whether the
expanded mandate UNIFIL received following the Second Lebanon War would be
suitable for Gaza, or whether a different mandate would be needed, and what
implications such a force would have for Israel's security needs and its
freedom of action in Gaza.

In both the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, opinions are divided
over both the value of UNIFIL's mandate and how effectively it has been
implemented. Foreign Ministry Director General Aaron Abramovitz, for
instance, recently told French officials that "UNIFIL is not doing the job
for which it was established, a fact that makes Israel question the value of
employing a multinational force in Gaza."

The prevailing view in both the defense establishment and the diplomatic
corps is that as long as Hamas controls Gaza, no country would consent to
send armed forces to the Strip.

Thus a multinational force would be an option only if Israel either
reconquered Gaza or a popular uprising against Hamas enabled PA President
Mahmoud Abbas to regain control there. And Israeli officials view the latter
as extremely unlikely.

Another question is whether Egypt would agree to a multinational force in
Gaza. It would have no problem with unarmed observers, but Israel worries
that it would object to armed troops with enforcement powers.