Italy "sets pace" on Israel plans

Benjamin Netanyahu's victory in the last Israeli elections may have put the peace process into deep freeze again. Nor is there much danger of a sudden thaw in EU / Israel relation with a latest proposal to create a demilitarised Palestinian state. Corriere della Sera reflects, however, on a recent statement made by Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini about the need on Europe's part to contribute to security on the ground, and see as credible his suggestion that an international peacekeeping force be created for Palestine. The argument goes that a Palestinian entity without armed forces as Netanyahu envisages could leave a security hole that would have to be filled from abroad. However, "it couldn't be the United States, because of obvious terrorism concerns, nor Britain, because of its colonial legacy in the region", writes Corriere. The most likely solution, it seems, would be a joint force made up of Italian, Spanish and French contingents, whose tasks could range from monitoring of peace accords, active border patrols and regular police duties. Something like the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon, the paper believes, with Italy setting the pace.