Although the proposed plan for Palestinian autonomy in the Gaza Strip and Jericho contains broad outlines for security arrangements, many of the practical details still need to be worked out, according to Israel’s top police official.
In a briefing for the foreign press Monday, Police Minister Moshe Shahal said that if the agreement is to succeed, both parties must stop seeing each other as enemies and begin building confidence and cooperation.
The proposed Israeli-Palestinian agreement, which was endorsed last week by Israel’s Cabinet, calls for Palestinian self-rule in Gaza and Jericho as a first step toward extending Palestinian authority to the administered territories.
Shahal said that the plan calls for Israeli security forces to retain responsibility for the safety of Israeli citizens and settlements in Gaza and the Jericho area. The Israeli forces will also be responsible for ensuring that Israeli citizens in the territories obey the law.
In addition, Israel will retain control over the strategically important bridge crossings to Jordan, he said.
But he noted that no details have yet been spelled out for the size or exact jurisdiction of the Palestinian police force that will begin operating in Gaza and Jericho once the plan goes into effect.
He said there are recommendations to have “cooperation on different levels” between the Israeli and Palestinian police forces, but exact details remain to be worked out by negotiators.
As of now, only 100 Palestinians have been in police training programs in Jordan. But Shahal said Israel is open to allowing Palestinians with military training in Jordan or Egypt to serve in the new police force.
The prospect of an armed Palestinian police force has sparked fear and anxiety among some sectors of the Israeli public. Some settlers’ groups have even gone so far as to pledge to take up arms against Palestinian police.
The minister said that public attitudes must be changed on both sides.
“We will have to realize we’re talking about trying to live in peace,” he said. “If we will continue to consider ourselves enemies (with the Palestinians), it will be a problem.
“I hope there will be a difference between declarations and reality,” he added, referring to the settlers’ threats of violence.
“We will certainly deal with any action not inside the frame of the law with all firmness,” he said.
Shahal held a three-hour meeting with representatives of the settlers Sunday night to try to address their concerns.
“The Palestinians have an interest in stability and in maintaining security,” Shahal told the group. They “will have a challenge to conduct their government in the interim period in such a way as to build confidence, and I believe they will do their utmost” to promote peace, he said.
One option reportedly being considered by Israel to increase security under the proposed autonomy plan involves leaving large border police forces in the areas that will be evacuated by the Israel Defense Forces.
What is still unclear is whether Israeli forces will be able to carry out “hot pursuits” of suspected terrorists into areas covered by the self-rule agreement.
Deputy Defense Minister Mordechai Gur said over the weekend that the IDF would patrol the roads in the vicinity of Jericho, where many Jewish settlements are concentrated.
He said new roads would be constructed to make it easier for the IDF to protect more isolated settlements.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
