French Prime Minister François Fillon has said that France is willing to deploy French troops in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem as part of an international peacekeeping force, if and when their presence is requested by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He made the comments during an address to the American Jewish Committee in Washington on Thursday evening. 

Quote: ""The Palestinian Authority must shoulder its responsibilities and reform its security services," he said. "France and Europe are prepared to provide assistance in this effort and, if the parties so wish, take part in an international force to support the Palestinian security services."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has supported calls for the deployment of a peacekeeping force in the past, but up until recently the Israeli government has preferred not to have a third party involved in the conflict. Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, has said that the EU is willing to deploy a peacekeeping force in the region if both sides request it. EU politicians have also repeatedly called for such a force to be deployed, and the Prime Minister of Italy has promised to contribute troops. The Gaza Strip still poses a big problem for any peacekeeping force, for Hamas have declared that they will regard any foreign force as an occupying force. But the situation in Gaza, along with the inability of the Palestinian Authority to guarantee Israel's security, is causing the Israeli government to rethink its position. In 2005 the European Union became the first third party to become directly involved in Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when they sent a mission to monitor the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have said that Israel would be willing to consider the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Gaza, if it had similar powers to the UNIFIL force stationed in south Lebanon. And the Israeli government have stated that an international presence will be required in the event of an IDF withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and that international troops will be required to train the Palestinian forces until they are ready to take control.

The Bible states that east Jerusalem shall be "given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months", Revelation 11:2. I never really thought about that word "given" before, in the context of what we are talking about here. Nor did I really think about the "Gentiles" treading the city under foot for three and a half years. These verses seem to imply that the Israeli government will eventually cede the eastern half of the city to the Palestinians, and that a large international peacekeeping force will be stationed there. Of course we know that the terrorism will not end. Zechariah 12:2 predicts that close to the end of the tribulation period, Israel's enemies will be in siege both against Judea and Jerusalem, and that this will be a time of unparalleled suffering for the Jewish people. We may not understand it, but we know that this will happen according to the will of God. And He will allow it, in order to bring His chosen people back to Himself. When the Lord came to earth the first time, He said, how often would He have gathered Jerusalem as a hen gathers her chickens under her wing, but they would not come (Luke 13:34). When He comes the second time, they will cry out to Him for salvation. And He will deliver them. What a God we serve! I would not want any other, not Mohammed, not Ghandi, not Buddha. They don't love me. But, "the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me", Galatians 2:20. If you are a Muslim, Mohammed didn't die for you. He doesn't love you. Ghandi didn't die for you either. The Queen of England wouldn't even die for you. But God's Son Jesus Christ did, because He loves you and wants you to be with Him in heaven forever. Trust in Him for salvation today.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Source JTA