So the Palestinians want us to embark on an endless
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has proposed to Secretary of State John Kerry that an American-led NATO force patrol a future Palestinian state indefinitely, with troops positioned throughout the territory, at all crossings, and within Jerusalem.
Yeah, it worked out so well the last time NATO troops tried to keep the peace between Palestinians and Israelis. We, the French, and Italians lost 356 troops killed in Lebanon in the early 1980s for our efforts.
I'm sure proponents will argue that we have led a force in Sinai to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel. But that force is more of an early warning for Egyptian deployments into Sinai that could pose an invasion threat contrary to the peace treaty's limits on forces. Both sides want a peaceful border. If Egypt wants to violate the treaty in a major way, we'd signal that the Egyptians are coming and get the heck out.
Satellites are probably better for this purpose three decades after deploying the force than troops on the ground.
Face it, NATO troops will just be targets for jihadis who want to apply pressure on Israel. Or targets for jihadis who simply want to kill infidels.
And Abbas can extort more money or assistance (pressure on Israel) from the NATO countries in exchange for "suppressing" the extremists so they won't attack the NATO troops.
So just say no to this ploy. The last thing the Palestinians want to do is deal directly with Israel. Make them deal with Israel.
