Since its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Israel has been struggling with the rather unsurprising problem of corruption among Gaza's new Egyptian and Palestinian border guards, and these guards' general lack of incentive to prevent weapons smuggling across the border. In response, Sharon has abandoned Israel's long-standing reluctance to allow for a greater EU role in Israel, and is now inviting EU troops to take up positions on Gaza's borders.
Israel and the EU, however, have different conceptions of the role of border guards. Israel wants the EU troops actually to arrest terrorists and weapons smugglers, while the EU would rather adopt the less confrontational role of serving purely as monitors. The Europeans are always so...European.
Meanwhile, in light of the great job the Europeans have done in
policing Muslims in France, the EU has decided to undertake a three-year mission to help build up the Palestinian police force. Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling that over the next three years, the EU will need all the cops they have at home in Europe.
