Clashes in Balata (Archive photo)
Photo: AP
PA security forces, al-Aqsa operatives clash in Nablus
Fighting erupts after officers detain Palestinian for illegally carrying a pistol
Palestinian security forces have been clashing since noon Monday with operatives of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's military wing, in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The fighting erupted in the Balata refugee camp after PA officers arrested a man for what they claimed was illegal possession of a pistol. In response several al-Aqsa militants confronted the officers and demanded that he be released.
Tensions between senior al-Aqsa members and the PA have risen in recent days following the Authority's demand that the militants uphold the terms of the clemency agreement reached with Israel, according to which they are obligated to lay down their arms in exchange for being removed from Israel's list of wanted Palestinians.
Some 300 security officers were deployed in Nablus last week, in an attempt to reinforce the city's existing security forces and implement a security plan which will allow the PA to assume full control of the city.
The deployment came as the result of an agreement between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, but Israel and the Palestinians still disagree as to the PA's capability to assume the security responsibilities in Nablus.
Several Palestinian organizations protested the fact that the current security arrangement between Israel and the PA allows the IDF to operate freely in Nablus after nightfall.
