RAMALLAH, 3 April 2005 — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas relieved the top West Bank security chief of his command yesterday and served notice of his intention to force out hundreds of senior officers, paving the way for a younger generation of commanders to take over. Abbas also placed West Bank security services on a “state of alert” in a bid to curb rampant security chaos.

Troops began deploying across main West Bank cities late yesterday, just hours after the Palestinian leader ordered similar measures in Ramallah. The order was given at top-level meeting between Abbas and his security chiefs late yesterday. Abbas had been criticized for not moving fast enough to reform his flabby security apparatus, seen as largely ineffective in reining in Palestinian fighters. Yesterday’s decision sent the strongest signal since Abbas took office in January that he is serious about cleaning house.

“We will not allow anyone to take the law into his own hands and sabotage our situation,” Abbas said, criticizing the security forces for failing to do their job.

The international community, led by the United States, has long demanded that the Palestinians streamline their corruption-plagued security forces, which under the late Yasser Arafat ballooned into nearly a dozen rival branches with often overlapping authorities.

Abbas had come under growing pressure at home to take action after gunmen shot up Abbas’ offices and rampaged through Ramallah on Wednesday. The gunmen were loyal to West Bank security chief Ismail Jaber, who was relieved of his command yesterday after submitting his resignation a day earlier. The local security chief in Ramallah, Younis Al-Aas, was also dismissed.

In a meeting with about 50 intellectuals, religious leaders and business people yesterday evening, Abbas said the gunmen had used the government compound, known as the Muqataa, for more than four years “to commit crimes and to come back to it.”

“I want to distinguish between nationalists and criminals,” Abbas said in remarks broadcast on Palestinian TV. “The security apparatus did not perform its duty, so it was crucial to take a stand,” he added in his most blunt criticism yet of the security forces.

It was not immediately clear who would replace Jaber. Israeli media mentioned Jibril Rajoub, Abbas’ national security adviser, as a possible successor. However, Palestinian officials said they did not know whether Abbas has picked a successor to Jaber.

Rajoub once headed the powerful Preventive Security Service in the West Bank, but fell out with Arafat over how to handle the conflict with Israel. Rajoub opposed using weapons against Israel and largely kept his men on the sidelines during the past four years of fighting.

Abbas also announced yesterday that he would enforce a recent law requiring security personnel to retire at 60. At least 2,000 top and middle-level security forces, many throwbacks to the Arafat era, would be forced out, paving the way for a new generation to take over, security officials said.

A committee has already identified hundreds who will be sacked, one official said on condition of anonymity.

Another security official said implementation of the law would “allow Abbas to get rid of many security chiefs and replace them with others better equipped for the job.”

It would also let him skirt the minefield of selectively firing security forces.

Abbas has vowed to bring law and order to Palestinian areas and to reform his security forces, which have not only been involved in attacks on Israel, but have also engaged in crimes against Palestinians.

With ordinary Palestinians and the international community awaiting action from him, he is trying to execute the difficult balancing act of reining fighters who are reluctant to cede power to him, while avoiding a confrontation that could easily spin out of control.

The Palestinian Authority has 45,000 to 50,000 security forces on its payroll.

Jaber, who had been West Bank security chief since the Palestinian Authority was created in 1994, submitted his resignation Friday, and Abbas accepted it yesterday during a meeting with his prime minister, Ahmed Qorei.

-— With input from agencies