Israel has made it clear that it is not asking for the United States to station troops on its soil. “Israel always said and says now that we never expected foreign troops American or others, to come here to fight for Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Naftalie Lavie told reporters here last week.
Lavie’s remarks were in response to a statement by U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in Washington that the Reagan Administration would examine a request by Israel for the stationing of American troops “very sympathetically and very carefully.”
“There is a certain misunderstanding on the subject,” Lavie said. He said while Israel would never ask for U.S. troops to help defend Israel, it would provide military facilities if the U.S. asked for them to meet global strategic requirements. “In this connection it was said on many occasions that Israel would be willing to facilitate American troops if they will need any sort of facilities,” Lavie said.
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