Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Hints That IDF Forces Would Have To Be Present In Parts Of Any Future Palestinian State As Part Of Any Deal

The Jerusalem Post reports that "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hinted on Monday that at least some IDF forces would need to be stationed long-term in a future Palestinian state and that this would not detract from the sovereignty of that state. In a conference call with US Jewish leaders sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Netanyahu said there need not be a conflict between Israeli security needs and Palestinian sovereignty. Germany, Japan and South Korea have had foreign troops on their soil for an extended period and nobody said that was “an affront to their respective sovereignties,” Netanyahu said, referring to US troops that were stationed in those countries following World War II. Netanyahu said he did not believe an international force would be able to provide Israel with the security guarantees it needed, and that 'the only force that can be relied on to defend the Jewish people is the Israel Defense Forces.' Netanyahu has on numerous occasions said that an Israeli presence on the eastern border of a future Palestinian state, meaning along the Jordan River, would be necessary to prevent the type of arms smuggling taking place from Syria to Hizbullah in southern Lebanon, and from Egypt to Hamas in Gaza. The prime minister stressed the need for solid security arrangements on the ground so as not to repeat the mistakes made in Lebanon and Gaza." Tweet