Two French naval ships abruptly, recalled to France from a NATO training exercise near Greece have been put on stand-by to take troops to Lebanon. Sources in Paris described the move as a precautionary measure. France has some 250 soldiers serving with UNIFIL in South Lebanon and like Ireland has been asked to contribute more troops. However, it first wants guarantees on security from Lebanon, Syria and Israel. The Israeli Army withdrew from south Lebanon on 24 May. An Israeli civilian was wounded earlier today after shots were fired from across the Lebanese border.
In a separate development, Israel's Prime Minister has said that he is willing to leave 20% of the Jewish settlers in the West Bank on the far side of the border under Palestinian sovereignty, in the context of a peace deal. Ehud Barak's comments last night were the first to spell out his readiness to accept a border that left a significant number of Israeli citizens inside a future Palestinian state.
