CONDITIONS FOR EUROPEAN FORCES TO OPERATE IN LEBANON, PALESTINE AND ISRAEL – by Rick Morren

The above headline might come across as a shock to some because it implies that in this present crises Israel is also part of the problem. Indeed, Israel has to be protected from incursions by Hezbollah and Hamas, but the Palestinians and Lebanese also have to be protected from the Israeli’s. Unfortunately this is the reality of the situation and needs to be addressed before a peace plan can have any reasonable chance of success. It should also be understood that this particular conflict must not be treated as being a part of other conflicts in Middle East.

If Europe participates with an independent force it must make sure to avoid an Iraq style quagmire experienced by the Americans and the British. European Governments which are to supply troops for this military force need to address this issue before our troops set foot in the area. There needs to be a solid mandate, a clear cut plan, a time-frame and an exit strategy. Some of the rules which could be applied include:

1) An immediate cease fire and an embargo on the sale or “donations” of weapons or military equipment to all parties in the conflict.
2) The creation of a buffer-zone. All combating parties need to disarm and move their combatants 15 km’s behind their frontiers creating a buffer zone of 30 km. This buffer-zone must also extend 60 km’s into Mediterranean. The buffer zone must be declared a no-fly-zone
3) A European military force patrolling the buffer-zone must have an independent chain of command without UN, NATO or US interference. The primary UN role should be to facilitate ongoing negotiations between all parties in the conflict.
4) European troops selected for this operation must be well equipped combat forces from the army, navy and air force. They must be able to forcefully overcome any incursions by combating parties either in the buffer zone or on the territories of Lebanon, Israel or Palestine.
5) The military mission must not exceed a two year time-frame and be coupled to an intensive program of direct discussions between all parties in the conflict under the auspices of the UN.

With the number of war casualties and refugees rising daily, not to mention the economic hardship experienced by all parties, the time to act is now.