Israel, Palestinians Discuss International Force in Secret TalksIn an unexpected move, Israeli and Palestinian officials have touched on a Palestinian demand for the deployment of an international force in the occupied territories, Israel Radio reported on Thursday.The officials held the discussion during a secret meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Wednesday, the radio said. The two sides examined the possibility of deploying an international observing force in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. They also tried to seek ways of quelling the violence in the region. The radio did not give further details of the talks, and Israel's prime minister's office refused to comment on the report. The Palestinian territories have been rocked since September 28 by the suppression of Israeli security forces against Palestinian demonstrators protesting Israeli violation of Islamic holy sites in East Jerusalem and its failure to honor signed agreements. The seven-week violence, the most serious since the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords, has left more than 200 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands of others wounded. The Palestinians have demanded a 2,000-strong international force be deployed in the occupied territories to protect the Palestinian people from Israeli excessive use of force. But Israel has expressed opposition to the possible move. It was unclear why it took part in the talks to consider the possibility of such a force. |
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