Palestinians to deploy forces along Gaza border

The Palestinians will deploy security forces along the Gaza-Israel frontier in coming days to prevent rocket fire and other attacks on Israeli towns, in the first act of security co-operation with Israel under Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, officials said today.

Abbas ordered the troop deployment after a meeting last night between Israeli and Palestinian generals, convened in a last-ditch effort to avert an Israeli military offensive in Gaza.

The meeting signalled that Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are succeeding to defuse their first crisis, though the situation remains highly volatile and renewed rocket fire by Palestinian militants could trigger major violence.

Only last week, Sharon had announced he was boycotting the Palestinian leadership, to protest what Israel said was Abbas’ lack of determination to rein in militants.

Abbas has been holding talks with leaders of militant groups in Gaza since Tuesday, and his aides said he was edging closer to a truce deal with them. The militants say they are ready to halt attacks, provided Israel stops military operations – a promise Israel has refused to make.

In the security meeting late last night, Palestinian generals presented a plan for stopping rocket fire and infiltrations of Palestinian militants into Israel.

“We told them (Israeli generals) that we are arranging a plan to deploy the Palestinian security forces into both the northern and southern parts of Gaza,” said Major General Moussa Arafat, a Palestinian security chief. “In the first stage, it will be in the north, and then we will move into the south.”

Lieutenant General Abdel Razek Majaide, the top Palestinian security commander, told the Voice of Palestine Radio station that the forces would fan out within two days.

Israeli officials said up to 1,000 Palestinian officers would be deployed, perhaps as early as today, and that Israel accepted the plan.

“We are facilitating it and co-ordinating it (the plan), so it will go forward,” an Israeli security official.

”We are waiting to see how effective they will be.”

Palestinian security officials have said in the past they are reluctant to deploy officers in areas from which rockets are launch, for fear the security forces will be targeted by Israeli troops.

Abbas had requested yesterday’s security meeting as the Israeli Security Cabinet was weighing a military solution to the ongoing rocket and mortar attacks.

The Security Cabinet, made up of senior ministers, agreed to resume security contacts with the Palestinians, but also approved tough military measures if the effort fails.

“Israel is prepared to co-operate with the Palestinians on condition that there is no terrorism,” Sharon said in a meeting yesterday with a top EU official.

But he warned that Israel is not prepared to accept the loss of life because of lack of Palestinian co-operation, implying that if talks fail, Israel will take action.

The decision defused rising tensions that appeared to be leading toward an Israeli invasion. While giving Abbas some leeway, Sharon had warned in recent days that he was losing patience.

Israel broke off contacts with Abbas’ government last Friday, after an attack killed six Israeli civilians at a Gaza-Israel crossing point. A Palestinian suicide bombing that killed an Israeli security agent at a Gaza checkpoint on Tuesday escalated tensions.