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UN chief proposes multinational force for Gaza crossings By Barak Ravid United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered during a meeting of the Quartet in London several weeks ago to send a multinational force to the Gaza Strip, to assist the security forces answerable to Salam Fayyad's Palestinian Authority government to operate the Rafah, Karni and Sufa border crossings. That way, Ban explained, the border crossings could be opened continually and fully. According to a senior Israeli political source, the plan known as "pockets of access to Gaza" originated with Fayyad, and was recently adopted by the UN chief, and presented to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and to senior Russian and European Union officials. Advertisement According to this plan, the multinational force sent to Gaza would operate in the "triangle" between the Rafah, Sufa, and Kerem Shalom crossings, and possibly also at the Karni crossing. The UN force would be headquartered in Egypt, and its troops would come to the crossings in Gaza daily. The force would number between 500 and 1,000 Palestinian and foreign soldiers or policemen. No mandate has been defined for this force, but its primary task would be securing the crossings and accompanying relief shipments, as well as serving as a buffer between Hamas security forces and PA forces, who would thereby return to activity in Gaza for the first time since Hamas' takeover in June 2007. The Israeli source said that Fayyad and Ban want to promote the plan mainly because of the importance Gaza Strip locals place on opening the border crossings. For Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas, it would be a great feather in their cap and earn them public opinion points against Hamas, the source said. "This way the PA would be able to assume some sort of control in Gaza for the first time since Hamas took over," he added. Israel has not rejected the plan out of hand, but officials in Jerusalem are skeptical it can be implemented, since many countries are likely to balk at sending soldiers or policemen to Gaza under its current security climate. Furthermore, it is unclear whether Hamas would accept such a multinational presence. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Knowing when to fold Ehud Olmert tells Kadima to begin preparations for party primaries. Time for vegetarianism? Kosher meat prices in the U.S. are likely to soar after a raid on an Iowa plant.

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