A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement Wednesday criticized Prime Minister Ismail Haneya for rejecting an Italian proposal to deploy international troops in the Gaza Strip.

"I think Haneya's statement to reject the deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip was strange," Ahmed Abdel Rahman told local radio Voice of Palestine.

"This is a big political mistake because deploying international forces is of benefit to the Palestinian people," Abdel Rahman said, adding that the forces would "stand between the Palestinians and Israel and will lead to lift the siege" on the Palestinians.

In late August, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said to Israeli media that international troops could be sent to the Gaza Strip if the force being deployed in Lebanon proves successful.

"The idea of sending UN troops to the Gaza Strip is currently being aired. But I think that if things go well in Lebanon, a similar process could also begin in the Gaza Strip," D'Alema told Israel's Haaretz newspaper.

Commenting on the failure of the international staff in West Bank city of Hebron, Abdel Rahman said that those in Hebron "were not international forces because they are weak and have no effect. "

The Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) was deployed in Hebron to monitor the situation and report on violations by Palestinians or Israeli settlers.

Source: Xinhua