Armed Palestinian forces patrol northern Gaza to prevent attacks
AFP
Date: 01-21-05
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip (AFP) - Palestinian security forces took up positions across the northern Gaza Strip with orders to prevent attacks by militants, winning plaudits for new leader Mahmud Abbas from Israel.
As Abbas continued his efforts to persuade militant factions to call a halt to violence, hundreds of police and members of other security services deployed in areas that have been both the launch pad and scene of attacks.
Armed members of the national security force inspected vehicles at checkpoints set up by the main Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza in the north and by the Karni border terminal further south, an AFP correspondent reported.
Israel temporarily severed contacts with the Palestinian Authority a week ago in the aftermath of a suicide attack at Karni which killed six Israelis, an event that cast a huge shadow over Abbas's inauguration on Saturday.
However, contacts were resumed on the security level last Wednesday, leading to an agreement for around 2,500 security forces to be deployed across the territory.
Large numbers of jeeps containing security forces in dark blue uniforms and red berets could be seen on patrol throughout the north on Friday.
A statement from Abbas' office said that while the first batch of forces were being sent to northern Gaza, more would fan out across the territory over the weekend.
While Israel has been pressing the Palestinians to take concrete action to prevent the attacks, permission was needed to post armed officers at specific locations as troops have been under orders to shoot any armed Palestinians.
Palestinian security sources said they had shown Israel detailed maps of areas where the troops were to be posted.
Among them was Beit Lahiya, a stronghold of Hamas and from where dozens of rockets and missiles have been fired at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. A 17-year-old girl became the fifth person from Sderot to be killed since June when she died of her injuries Friday from a rocket attack.
"We expect the deployment will be finished tomorrow," Ismail Dahduh, the commander of a national security force unit, told AFP in Beit Lahiya.
"Our mission is to protect the general public and ensure general security in the northern Gaza Strip."
Asked how he was meant to react if he came across anyone trying to launch rockets at either Israeli settlements in northern Gaza or over the border, Dahduh said that he hoped to "reach an understanding as we don't want clashes."
Security officials have said that anyone suspected of trying to carry out an attack against Israel will be arrested, although Abbas has vowed to avoid any descent into "civil war."
Abbas, who has been in Gaza since Tuesday in a bid to persuade the armed factions to call a halt to attacks, held a new round of talks with Hamas and its smaller rival Islamic Jihad late Friday, official sources said.
In brief comments to reporters, Abbas said the deployments would avert Israeli military operations.
"The mission of theses forces is to protect our borders and cities from any aggression," Abbas said.
Israeli chief of staff General Moshe Yaalon has ordered his commanders to prepare plans for a large-scale invasion of Gaza if the attacks do not end.
However, on Thursday, Yaalon said Israel was "witnessing the beginning of positive developments in the Palestinian camp, an expression of their understanding that terror does not pay."
Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said he had been very impressed by Abbas.
"The first steps by Abu Mazen (Abbas) are really impressive, not only in what he has been saying but also with the actions on the ground," said Peres.
A senior official in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office also expressed satisfaction at the moves.
"We are quite satisfied by what has happened on the ground. It is the result of Israeli pressure as well as American and European pressure on Abu Mazen."
Palestinian negotiations minister Saeb Erakat revealed that Sharon himself sent a goodwill message to Abbas marking Eid al-Adha, expressing his hope that the pair could achieve peace together.
In other developments, the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza was reopened for the first time in six weeks.
Several thousand Palestinians had been stuck on the Egyptian side of the border, which was closed after an attack by Palestinian militants killed five Israeli soldiers.
Source
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
|