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Israel Has to Keep Hamas from Rebuilding Once Gaza Fighting Ends

(Los Angeles Times) Paul Richter - Determined to avoid a repeat of the fighting in Gaza, Israel is seeking to build support for having an international force take charge of preventing Hamas from rearming once the conflict is over. The idea has been floated repeatedly by top Israeli officials in recent days. Initial international reaction to the idea of an outside force has been positive, with the UN, EU and Obama administration all embracing the idea, in principle. In practice, figuring out who is willing to police Gaza and separate Hamas from its remaining weapons poses a problem. "The problem is somebody has to do the demilitarizing, and no one's running to the front of the line," said Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. Preventing a repeat of the fighting has become a preoccupying concern for Israelis, Palestinians and world powers alike. Billions of dollars in aid is expected to flow in for the rebuilding of Gaza. Israel wants to be sure Hamas will not be able to divert international aid to buy arms, officials say. Another need is ensuring that materials and equipment entering Gaza cannot be used to build tunnels or repurposed for rockets and other weapons. President Obama, Secretary of State John F. Kerry, and national security advisor Susan Rice have signaled support for disarming Hamas, and the House adopted a resolution this week embracing the idea. Israel will insist that a force be deployed in Gaza to monitor what is happening, said Dan Arbell, a former Israeli diplomat. More challenging is the question of how to eliminate existing stocks of weapons. "It doesn't have to be the U.S. troops doing it: They could be overseeing it to guarantee that it be done," said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The 38 European, Asian and African countries that contribute to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon might be willing to help in Gaza, he said.
2014-08-01 00:00:00
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