Israeli and international media have been reporting a new Israeli promise to refrain from carrying out incursions in four West Bank towns as a reward for the Palestinian Authority’s crackdown against Hamas.According to the reports, Israeli forces will end their near nightly incursions into Jericho, Ramallah, Qalqilia and Bethlehem to allow the PA’s security forces greater leeway in imposing ‘security’ in the four Palestinian population centers. However, the Israeli army will not hesitate to enter the towns if it believes that a Palestinian attack against Israeli interests is imminent.
According to anonymous sources within the PA, a joint meeting of PA and Israeli security leaders took place outside Bethlehem last night to discuss the new arrangement. However, the sources expressed their dissatisfaction with the possibility that the new arrangement would change the reality of occupation in the West Bank.
It is worth noting that Israeli forces reinvaded Palestinian towns in the West Bank during operation Defensive Shield in 2002 and have not returned to their positions just outside the towns since. This arrangement comes after the Palestinian Authority’s heavy crackdown on Hamas members and affiliates, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests as well as two deadly gun battles in Qalqilia three weeks ago.
Views expressed on this post or on linked web pages do not represent the Palestine Center, the educational program of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development. All content is for educational purposes only.
