Last update - 00:00 29/08/2007
Palestinian security forces say Jenin rescue proves their mettle
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Members of the Palestinian security forces in Jenin were very excited Tuesday by the presence of many Israeli media teams in town. They were doubly excited by what was being considered the Palestinian security forces' biggest success in recent years: saving an Israeli officer from being lynched after he accidentally drove into the city.
Commanders of Jenin's main security forces - police, intelligence and national security - said their swift intervention to save the major in the Israel Defense Forces proved that the Palestinian Authority's security teams can deal with real threats and take over security in West Bank cities.
Visiting Jenin Tuesday, the Palestinian security commander in the West Bank, General Ziab al-Ali, told Haaretz that during the past year, the PA's forces have prevented dozens of attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers in the West Bank.
Al-Ali said these efforts included finding many bombs and arresting potential suicide bombers.
"In Israel these things are well known," he said, meaning among Israel's security services.
He blamed Hamas and Islamic Jihad for planning these attacks, most of which he said originated in the Jenin area.
General Ali was less optimistic that his security forces could undertake responsibility for cities in the West Bank.
He explained that this would be a political decision between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
"I cannot say that we will be able to prevent 100 percent of the attempts at carrying out attacks [against Israelis] if the cities were transferred to Palestinian control, but Israel too, or any other force, cannot offer that kind of guarantee," the general said.
However, the commander of the Palestinian forces in the Jenin area, Colonel Imran Suleiman, told Haaretz that the troops are ready now, in spite of their limited capability to guarantee that every attack originating in Jenin would be stopped.
He said that his forces have focused on uncovering explosive devices, and that since Hamas' takeover in the Gaza Strip in June, his men have arrested 250 members of the Islamic organization or other suspected members of illegal organizations in the Jenin area alone.
Many of those arrested have already been released, but some are being held in the headquarters of the PA's security forces in the city.
"The Palestinian Authority today is strong and stable. Every person who is called in for questioning appears quickly at our headquarters, and this is something we had not experienced in the past," Suleiman said. "Our capabilities are better than ever, even though the means at our disposal are limited. The number of vehicles I have available for the entire city is 10. In the rural area it is a real problem and there are places where I have not one car."
The senior officer also complained that his forces have "very few weapons."
"The Palestinian Authority has changed its attitude toward Hamas and ties with Israel, even though Israel refuses to do the same. This is a golden political opportunity to reach an agreement between Israel and the PA, an opportunity that will not repeat itself," he warned.
"The President [PA chairman] Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] is very serious in his intentions for peace, and if you [Israel] do not reach an agreement with him the situation will be very bad," Suleiman said.
Suleiman met Sunday night with the IDF commander in the Jenin area, Colonel Lior Carmeli, who thanked him for the rapid intervention of his forces and called it proof of the PA's goodwill. The Israeli officer expressed hope for continued cooperation in the future.