Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said an Arab force for the Gaza Strip could help end violence in the Hamas-run territory, the official news agency MENA reported on Saturday. However, the minister, in a magazine interview to appear on Sunday, stopped short of making a direct appeal for the deployment of such a force in Gaza Strip.
"The presence of an Arab force in the territory could help stop violence and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said in the interview, excerpts of which were published by MENA. Abul Gheit said the idea warrants careful study "and deserves to be taken seriously."
Abul Gheit stressed that his suggestion cannot take form until Palestinian unity is restored and "after an appropriate study is carried out." According to him, Egypt and the Arab League "could play a role in this matter."
