( dpa ) - The Dutch government wants to participate in any peacekeeping force that may be established in Israeli-Palestinian border areas, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Monday night.
The Dutch minister, who is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories, was speaking at a conference in Herzliya, Israel.
Verhagen said that if the Israeli army will redeploy in the context of a new peace agreement with the Palestinians, which would also include the establishment of an international peacekeeping force, the Dutch want to be part of it.
He emphasized an international peacekeeping force is the best way to guarantee Israel's security after a new agreement with the Palestinians has been signed.
The Dutch minister called upon Israel to reopen the Gaza Strip to enable food, fuel and medicine to enter.