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Shin Bet: Most wanted men have given up terror
Three months after amnesty deal that offered clemency to 170 Fatah operatives, security establishment views positively what it defines as 'trial phase'
Efrat Weiss
"Three months after it was signed, the results of the amnesty deal indicate a change on the ground and we are seeing that some of the militants are indeed abandoning the path of terror," the Shin Bet said in a statement Monday evening.
The amnesty deal was intended to encourage moderate, anti-Hamas elements within the Palestinian Authority (PA) interested in regional stability. Under the terms of the agreement, the security forces agreed to cease actions against 170 wanted Fatah men in exchange for their pledge to abandon terror and hand over the weapons in their possession.
Now, according to the security establishment, the three months following the signing of the agreement have seen substantial results in the field, despite the PA's inability to implement the deal. Sources in the security establishment believe that this apparent success stems mostly from the positive dynamic created in wake of the agreement and its positive influence on the Palestinian street.
Despite the encouraging results, security sources say that a small number of the wanted operatives have resumed their status as targets of the Israeli security establishment given their return to terror. The Shin Bet says that it will continue to demand that the formerly-wanted men stick to their commitments.
With the conclusion of the deal's first phase, security sources added that they will continue to encourage the PA to promote the process, despite its weakness.
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