MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian policemen deployed in a major flashpoint area in southern Gaza yesterday and Israel's military chief ordered troops to cease operations in those areas under the control of Palestinian security forces, in the latest signs of improved relations between the warring sides.
Lt Gen Moshe Ya'alon also said the army would scale back operations in the West Bank and that any operation that targeted a Palestinian militant would first need his approval. The army released a statement saying it would only target militants if there was "an immediate threat by active terror cells" and that this would be done "only with explicit authorisation" of the chief of staff.
Israel also plans to reopen the three major Gaza border crossings, which will allow the passage of both people and merchandise. The crossings were closed by Israel after attacks there by Palestinian militants.
The growing calm comes in the wake of measures taken by new Palestinian leader Mr Mahmoud Abbas, who says he is close to persuading militant groups to cease all attacks on Israelis. Mr Abbas suffered a blow, however, when it emerged yesterday that the Islamic Hamas group, which has carried out most of the suicide bombings, had trounced his ruling Fatah party in local elections in parts of Gaza.
The deployment in southern Gaza, along with an edict published on Thursday that bars Palestinians from carrying weapons in public, are the latest moves by Mr Abbas aimed at halting the violence and renewing negotiations with Israel. The measures come amid meetings by officials on both sides that are meant to pave the way for a summit between the Palestinian leader and Prime Minister Mt Ariel Sharon.
After Palestinian policemen fanned out across northern Gaza yesterday week in an effort to prevent the firing of rockets into Israel by militants - only one rocket has been fired since - more forces took up positions yesterday in an area that has been one of the most volatile during the Intifadah uprising. Dressed in red berets and army fatigues, hundreds of policemen set out in black pick-up trucks to patrol the areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah.
Throughout the uprising, Palestinian militants have clashed with Israeli troops in southern Gaza, firing anti-tank missiles at army outposts and launching mortars at Jewish settlements.
Israel has responded with fierce raids during which militants and civilians have been killed and thousands of Palestinians have been made homeless. Rafah is also the area where militants have dug tunnels to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
In another sign of the improved atmosphere, Israeli Defence Minister Mr Shaul Mofaz and Mr Mohammed Dahlan, a senior security aide to Mr Abbas, are to meet tonight to discuss security co-operation. On the agenda will be the handing over of West Bank towns and cities - reoccupied by Israel in 2002 - to Palestinian control.
The halting of Israeli military actions in much of Gaza and the limiting of operations in the West Bank is good news for Mr Abbas, who is trying to convince militants to agree to halt all attacks on Israelis. The militant groups have said they will only do so if Israel pledges to cease its military operations.
But the Palestinian leader will have been far less encouraged by the results of the local elections in 10 Gaza towns. According to unofficial results, Hamas won 77 out of 118 seats and Mr Abbas's Fatah party won a paltry 26. Hamas leader in Gaza Mr Mahmoud Zahar said the movement's victory was "a clear message for everybody, for the European people and Americans, who are considering resistance as terrorism". Some observers suggested the results were less a reflection of support for Hamas and its radical agenda and more an indication of the anger harboured by residents toward Fatah over widespread corruption in the Palestinian Authority.
But Mr Abbas cannot afford to take comfort in these explanations and will need to ensure a better showing by Fatah in the next round of local elections in April, if he is to solidify his control in Gaza and the West Bank.