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Hamas terrorist supporters march during an anti-US demonstration in the Gaza Strip on Friday. Palestinian terrorists are now able to switch their hats to become members of the PA police force. (AP)
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| By israelinsider staff and partners May 15, 2005 |
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Israel has given its approval for the deployment of hundreds of armed Palestinian Authority police in all West Bank cities, supposedly to crack down on crime. According to senior Israeli defense officials, the move is intended to strengthen the PA ahead of the transfer of additional cities to Palestinian control.
But at the same time, the PA hasn't collected the overwhelming majority of the weapons of the wanted terrorists that it was supposed to, ahead of the Israeli approval.
So far, Jericho and Tulkarem have been transferred to Palestinian control, with Israel conditioning the transfer of additional cities on the monitoring of wanted men and the confiscation of weapons.
The personnel, who must be in uniform, are authorized to carry assault rifles in all cities except Hebron, where they will be limited to handguns.
Meanwhile, the PA Interior Ministry has allegedly begun to collect weapons from wanted Fatah members in Jericho and Tulkarem. The men, most of whom had served in the Palestinian police or security branches, have begun to report to their units and sign declarations promising they would not become involved in terrorism or the sale of weapons or ammunition, and that they would accept the authority of their superiors. They also pledged not to erase serial numbers on the weapons, which Israel has in its records.
Only between five and ten men reportedly turned in their weapons in Tulkarerm out of a list of 50 wanted men. Forty-seven of the 50 have signed pledges not to be involved in terror.
A Palestinian source said 17 wanted men in Jericho had also signed the pledge. None are from Hamas or Islamic Jihad. According to the agreement between these organizations and the PA that led to the present calm, it will not collect their weapons.
"There are no scenes of piles of weapons brought in by wanted men, but rather the acceptance of the wanted men, with their weapons, into the Palestinian police," a Palestinian source said.
The arming of the PA police is proceeding although the Israel Defense Forces continues to enter the cities to arrest terror suspects. Israel has told the PA that when the IDF enters a city, the police should keep to their bases, and warned that it will not tolerate the use of the weapons against its forces. IDF soldiers have been issued special rules of engagement to avoid hitting armed Palestinian police.
"We have no illusions that [the Palestinian police] will prevent terror," an IDF source said. "Therefore, we are continuing to operate in the cities as necessary. But an armed presence brings back some law and order, and deters some of the armed gangs, and that is also important," a senior source said.
The IDF said that although the PA has only partially complied with its road map obligations, terrorism has clearly declined in the West Bank.
In the meantime, about 20 religious and secular students have begun a hunger strike outside the Prime Minister?s Office in Jerusalem, to protest the upcoming Gaza Strip and northern West Bank pullout.
The students said they would drink water and juices, but eat no food or soup.
The students in question belong to a right-wing group in several universities across the country and are aiming to stir public debate on the upcoming settlement evacuation.
Should the pullout plan continue as expected, however, Kibbutz Nir Am near Sderot recently approached the Agriculture Ministry with an offer to allocate 3,500 dunams of its land for the construction of greenhouses for farmers who are to be evacuated from Gush Katif as part of the disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
Under the proposal, the state would pay the kibbutz some NIS 45 million for the land, and these funds would help Nir Am come to an arrangement with the banks vis-a-vis its debts.
The land in question belongs to the Israel Lands Administration (ILA) and is being used by the kibbutz under a long-term lease. Compensation for the revenue the kibbutz would lose over the lease period has been set at $3,000 per dunam (approximately 0.25 acre).
The land on offer is near the Erez crossing, which would make it easy for the evacuees to hire laborers from the Gaza Strip.
A portion of the land might also be used as non-agricultural land in the future.
Some 450 Gush Katif families are involved in agriculture; they own some 8,000 dunams of greenhouses. A week ago, the cabinet decided that farmers who are evacuated from Gush Katif would each receive from 40 dunams for the erection of greenhouses from the ILA, as well as 35,000 cubic meters of water per year.
Meanwhile, the cabinet has decided not to appropriate 3,200 dunams from Kibbutz Nahal Oz for Gush Katif evacuees. Nahal Oz's business manager, Haim Yelin, said over the weekend that the government had realized that it was not feasible to appropriate land from farmers who had been working it for 52 years, despite the fact that the land is defined as "temporary" property -- held under lease contracts that are renewed every three years.
The cabinet decision stipulates that the land will not be appropriated and that land will only be given to evacuees under agreements and in the framework of negotiations between sellers and buyers.
Kibbutz sources said that a number of kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip have recently signed cooperation agreements with Gush Katif settlers to construct greenhouses on hundreds of dunams of kibbutz land. Under the agreements, the kibbutzim will provide the land and the evacuees will come up with the financing and agricultural know-how.
Kibbutzim in the area have also been conducting talks with the Defense Ministry on compensation they will receive for land appropriated for security purposes. The land is slated to be used to pave a 60-kilometer road outside the eastern edge of the Strip.
Some 13,200 dunams of land is likely to be appropriated for security purposes. The land is being used today to cultivate potatoes, peanuts, radishes and carrots.
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