Israel agrees with Egyptian Gaza plan

JERUSALEM, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Israeli leaders say they agree with an Egyptian plan to bolster its Gaza border force by as many as 1,500 guards to combat arms smuggling.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni approved what they called a new mechanism for the plan after a late-night meeting, the Jerusalem Post said Friday.

The proposed 3-ply mechanism includes intelligence cooperation, obstacles in Sinai and the deployment of new tunnel-detection technology along the border, the leaders say.

Egypt said it wanted to increase its border guards by at least 750 and possibly as many as 1,500, a senior Israeli political source said.