NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a security conference in Israel on 9 February that NATO would offer peacekeeping services to Israelis and Palestinians if both sides requested it as part of future peace treaty. He urged a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks amid the "new dynamic" in the region.
Speaking to the annual security conference in Herzliya, Rasmussen warned "We do not have all the time in the world. There is a new dynamic in the region. We must seize the opportunity to build on it".
Rasmussen stressed that NATO was neither involved in the Middle East diplomatic process, nor seeking a role. However, he said that NATO would consider possible involvement if three conditions were met: a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace being reached; both parties requesting NATO help in implementing the agreement; and the UN endorsing NATO involvement. "I don't have illusions about NATO's role about providing security in the region," Rasmussen told the conference participants. "NATO cannot solve all the problems and it never intended to do so.
Rasmussen also met with Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said that the recent events in the region obligated rethinking long-standing security conceptions, and necessitated thinking “out of the box”. A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Rasmussen discussed expanding cooperation between Israel and NATO. The spokesman would not say if Israel would accept Rasmussen's offer.
Netanyahu insists Israel must have strict security guarantees in any peace deal.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he would agree to have international peacekeepers deployed in a future Palestinian state for a limited time.
The secretary-general also spoke about the uprisings in Egypt, saying that it's vital for the country to remain a moderate force in the region: "For almost 30 years Egypt has played a key moderating role in the region. It is important for all of us that it remains a force for peace and stability". During his speech, Rasmussen said that “a new and different challenge is emerging across the region, the need to address the demands of Arab societies for democratic reforms. Just a couple of weeks ago, few would have suggested such a development, and events are still unfolding”.
Rasmussen urged all parties in Egypt to “engage without delay in a dialogue to ensure a peaceful, democratic and speedy transition, with full respect of human rights”. He also outlined three priority areas for improving NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue partnership in the region: political consultations, practical cooperation and operations. On the issue of expanding practical cooperation, he said “We are extending the range of activities that we can offer to all Mediterranean partners from around 700 to more than 1600. When it comes to cooperation projects, there is no longer any distinction between the Mediterranean countries and the Euro-Atlantic partners”.