GAZA CITY, 24 June 2005 — The Palestinian Authority has agreed to absorb some 700 activists of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades into Palestinian security services in an attempt to keep the streets free of armed elements.

It would be the biggest move yet to absorb fighters from the Brigades, part of the Fatah movement, but the officials gave no immediate timetable for taking away their personal weapons.

Abbas is under pressure from Israel to disarm militants as a condition for resuming peace moves and faces calls from Palestinians to curb growing lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The program of offering government jobs to fighters in exchange for giving up their weapons has been a centerpiece of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to impose law and order in the chaotic West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel has said the tactic is ineffective and demanded tougher action against the activists, and even Palestinian officials conceded the weapons collection would not take place anytime soon.

Still, reaching a deal in Nablus could be significant. The West Bank city is widely considered to be a center of militancy — a concern that was underscored Wednesday when gunmen in a nearby refugee camp opened fire and set off a bomb as Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei made an emotional appeal for an end to the chaos. No one was injured.

The deal was sealed by Qorei during the visit.

Brigades activists confirmed they had agreed to the plan and said some of their forces would also take civilian jobs. The deal will include fighters in Nablus and nearby Palestinian refugee camps.

Samir Huleilah, chief of staff for the Palestinian Cabinet, put the number of those involved in the hundreds. “All have signed. This will be the test case. This is the first comprehensive agreement,” he said.

Huleilah said the Palestinian Authority hoped to expand the Nablus program across the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Abdel Fattah Hamayel, coordinator of the Palestinian committee negotiating with the fighters, said the list of Nablus activists would be finalized in the next few days. He said his committee had already struck similar deals with 600 fighters in the towns of Jericho, Tulkarm and Jenin.

Huleilah said the Nablus fighters would enter the security services shortly but had no details about when they would hand over personal weapons. He said dealing with arms was the “next step” and the guns could be bought by the Palestinian Authority.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the deal was in line with a Palestinian policy to bring Fatah-linked fighters under the umbrella of national security forces.

“I think it is an important step,” he said. “We had an agreement with Israel that Israel will not harm them provided we put them and their weapons under the custody and control of the Palestinian Authority.”

A senior Israeli official did not comment directly on what he called an internal Palestinian matter, but said “if they do take the steps necessary to disarm those militants that is fine... our only objection is the fact they are not doing anything”.

Israel has resumed an assassination policy against Islamic Jihad fighters, officials said on Wednesday.

The death of a 26-year-old Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail added to tension yesterday. Islamic Jihad blamed negligence and said Israel was responsible. The prison authority said it was investigating the cause of death.

Meanwhile, the Quartet of diplomatic powers seeking Middle East peace stressed yesterday the “urgent need” for Israel and the Palestinians to coordinate the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip.

A statement issued after a meeting of foreign ministers from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations also reiterated a call for both sides to live up to their obligations under the peace road map.

Following the talks in London, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said there would be discussions with the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and neighbors about what must be done “to ensure that the withdrawal from Gaza is a success and there is freedom of movement for the Palestinians.”

“The Quartet notes that less than two months remain until the announced start to disengagement, and emphasizes the urgent need for Israel and the Palestinians to work directly and cooperatively with each other,” the group said.

The statement condemned recent bloodshed on both sides, particularly mortar and rocket attacks on Israeli towns, and urged the parties “to avoid and prevent any escalation in violence so that withdrawal can proceed peacefully.

— Additional input from agencies