HEBRON, West Bank: Nearly 600 newly trained Palestinian troops took up positions in this tense city yesterday, as part of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ attempt to expand his control in the West Bank. Hebron, a former Hamas stronghold, is the third Palestinian city to be reinforced with Abbas’ forces.
In recent months, Abbas has been trying to take over more areas of the once unruly West Bank, though Israel retains overall security control. Abbas’ forces were deployed first in the cities of Nablus and Jenin.
Hamas accused Abbas of collaborating with Israel. “This deployment comes as a reward by the occupation forces after what they have done against Hamas,” said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for the Palestinian group. Several hundred Palestinian police officers were already stationed in Hebron before the arrival of the reinforcements. The new contingent of 585 officers, some trained in Jordan, drove into Hebron in jeeps, vans and buses early yesterday and assembled at the city’s security headquarters. By midmorning, they began patrolling city streets.
Hebron’s Palestinian security chief, Samih Seifi, said he was determined to impose order. “We will arrest whoever tries to stop us, and we will not let anyone deter us,” he said.
An Israeli security source confirmed that the Palestinian deployment in Hebron had been coordinated with the Israeli Army and that the Palestinian force would not be allowed to intervene in areas where Jewish settlers live. “They are meant to police the community and strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s ability to fight Hamas,” the source said.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the deployment was part of a campaign that has been successful in other West Bank cities. “Without enforcing law and order, the Palestinians can’t live a sustainable life and have a sustainable economy,” Fayyad said.
The conflict between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah could worsen in the coming months with the two groups divided on when Abbas’ presidential term expires.
Hamas has said his constitutionally mandated four-year term ends in January, while Abbas’ supporters have said new presidential and parliamentary elections should be held together in January 2010.
With more than 160,000 Palestinian residents, Hebron is the largest town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and has long been a flash point because of a settlement of around 800 extremist Jews in the heart of the town.
Settlers have frequently clashed with Palestinians in the historic city. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a US-born Jewish settler, opened fire on Muslims praying inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, killing 29 Palestinians, including several women and children.
The settlement and the religious site are guarded by hundreds of Israeli soldiers who will remain in Hebron despite the deployment of the additional Palestinian forces.
In the West Bank, a 23-year-old Palestinian was seriously wounded by Israeli Army fire during a clash in the refugee camp of Fara yesterday, said medic Adnan Ghawanmeh.
Israeli forces entered the camp, apparently in search of a fugitive fighter. Young men hurled rocks and firebombs at the soldiers, who responded with live fire, Palestinians said. An Israeli Army spokesman said Palestinians also shot at the soldiers, who fired back.
