The Palestinian Authority is considering allowing the permanent stationing of NATO forces in the future Palestinian state, London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi reported Palestinian sources saying Wednesday.
The NATO forces will be able to prevent arms smuggling into the future state and to monitor that it would remain demilitarized. Under any peace agreement likely to be formulated between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which, Israel would expect the Palestinian entity to remain demilitarized.
US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell is set to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday afternoon. According to the report, Abbas will offer this concession in the meeting.
The Palestinian Authority will ask NATO and the US commit to “defending the Palestinian state from Israel," were relations to break down and were Israel to threaten the future Palestinian state with invasion.
