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IDF raid in Nablus
Photo: AFP

Fatah fears Israel to renounce security agreements

Palestinian Authority orders several wanted men released as part of amnesty agreement with Jewish state to return to jail

Fatah activists fear Israel will renounce security agreements signed with the Palestinian Authority, as part of which many Palestinian gunmen were granted amnesty.

 

The concern was raised following the assassination of three organization members involved in the shooting attack that killed Rabbi Avshalom Meir Hai near the West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron. Two of those killed were gunmen pardoned by the Jewish state.

 

In recent days, the PA instructed several wanted men who were included in the amnesty agreement with Israel to return to jail. The men, most of them residents of the West Bank city of Nablus, were allowed until recently to move freely within Area A and other areas in the territories.

 

The move caused a lot of anger among the wanted men, and Fatah sources fear Israel is preparing to renounce the security understandings.

 

Following the decision, several commanders of the security organizations in the West Bank arrived in Nablus on Tuesday in a bid to calm the wanted men down and prevent a loss of control.

 

The senior officers explained that there was no sign Israel was planning to renounce or cancel the security agreements. They asked the wanted men, however, to fully meet their commitments and not to jeopardize their release conditions.

 

"The wanted men were asked not to carry weapons or talk nonsense on the phone. In short, to honor the document they signed two and a half years ago," a security source in Nablus told Ynet.

 

The commanders said that those who honor the agreement would be able to continue enjoying the amnesty, adding that another group of wanted men was expected to be pardoned soon.

 

About two weeks ago, the Israel Defense Forces killed three members of Fatah's military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, following information on their location received from the Shin Bet. PA officials accused Israel of assassinating the three for no reason, although they did not oppose their arrest.

 

Following the killing, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the PA may reexamine its security cooperation with Israel in the West Bank, as part of its preparations for a possible independence declaration.

 

"Recently their provocations and incursions have increased," Abbas told Palestine Television, referring to the raid on Nablus. "We find ourselves before the point of review, of considering many of the things that we do," he said. "If the (security) coordination does not lead to a halt in the incursions and the provocations, we will think anew."

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.13.10, 23:53
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