http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=134505The U.S. military, in a fairly unusual move, is pushing itself into the Middle East peace process over what the Pentagon sees as an erosion of the U.S. military's posture in the region, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
The U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, led by Gen. David Petraeus, is urging President Obama to include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in its area of responsibility, or AOR.
Until now, CENTCOM has watched over most of the Middle East – but not the area of operation that includes the region under the Palestinian Authority. CENTCOM's AOR includes some 27 countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa. While CENTCOM's main headquarters are in Tampa, Fla., it also maintains overseas headquarters for its AOR in Qatar.
In recent testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Petraeus said the inclusion of the West Bank and Gaza Strip under CENTCOM would also take into account the impact of Israeli-Palestinian developments.
"We keep a very close eye on what goes on there because of the impact it has on that part of CENTCOM, the Arab world," Petraeus said.
Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, supports CENTCOM's expansion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The U.S. military's initiative also may show a frustration over the recent challenges in diplomatic relations between Israel and the U.S. over the construction of homes for Jews in East Jerusalem.
Topic: U.S. military seeking role on West Bank (Read 3012 times)