ISRAEL HAS agreed to reduce military operations in four West Bank cities as part of an effort to boost the standing of the Palestinian Authority led by moderate president Mahmoud Abbas.
At talks between Israeli and Palestinian security officers in Bethlehem yesterday, it was agreed that Israeli troops would halt raids in the city, along with Ramallah, Jericho and Qalqilya, unless Israel received concrete intelligence that an attack by militants was being planned. The move follows the successful deployment by US-trained Palestinian security forces at various locations in the West Bank over recent months. Extra battalions are currently being trained in Jericho and Jordan and will return to the West Bank soon.
The Palestinian forces have been able to restore law and order and curtail activity by Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen. Some 800 Islamic activists are currently being held in Palestinian Authority West Bank prisons.
The American move to beef up the Palestinian Authority security presence followed the fall of the Gaza Strip to Hamas military forces in June 2007 and the fear that a similar scenario would happen in the West Bank.
Adnan Dmeiri, a spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, welcomed yesterday’s move by Israel. “We are doing our job protecting our people and there is no need for Israeli forces to enter our territories under the pretext of security needs.”
The Israeli army withdrew from Palestinian population centres in the 1990s, but re-entered in 2000 in response to a wave of militant attacks. Palestinian peace negotiators have demanded a new redeployment by Israeli forces to the positions held before 2000.
Israel has also removed a number of West Bank checkpoints over recent weeks, making travel for Palestinians easier.
Despite the goodwill gestures, the Palestinians are still linking a resumption of peace talks to a total halt by Israel of all building on West Bank Jewish settlements.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists on the right to build to accommodate what is termed “natural population growth”. Attempts by Jerusalem and Washington to reach a compromise on this have so far failed.