ABSTRACT
The nature of the Lebanese situation, with myriad factions each ridden with intrigues and leadership struggles, militated against enlisting third-party peacekeepers as stabilizers except in the sense of fortifying local authority—presumably for just a short period. Israel’s acute security concerns about control of Judea and Samaria inhibit any third-party role as a serious factor in a settlement. Although the Labor party has been much more flexible about territorial compromise or shared rule on the West Bank—given political and demographic realities—its leadership has been unified on the proposition that there must be sufficient Israeli military presence on the West Bank to guarantee Israel’s security. The Multinational Force & Observers may be entertained as a model only on the Syrian front—and even then, there is just a theoretical prospect of success.
