PA officers making 'certain effort' to halt Qassam fire

Armed Palestinian Authority security officers who deployed in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza after the Israeli pullout are making "a certain effort" to prevent Qassam rocket fire into the Negev, particularly at Sderot, a senior defense source has told Haaretz.

However, Palestinian militants managed to fire a Qassam rocket Wednesday morning that landed near a kindergarten in the western Negev, but caused no casualties or damage, Army Radio reported.

The Israel Defense Forces quit the built-up parts of Beit Hanun, which it held for more than a month as part of an operation meant to halt the Qassam rocket fire. A military presence remains in the Palestinian area, but the positions it has taken are in open areas. There apparently were agreements reached between Israel and the PA, though not publicly or formally, which enabled the move.

Since the IDF pulled out of Beit Hanun, except for two barrages that immediately followed the departure but caused no damage or casualties, there has been relative quiet in the area. The army also attributes it to the readiness of the PA security forces to obstruct the Qassam fire to prevent any further damage to Beit Hanun by Israel.

The PA security forces patrol the city and check cars entering the town to prevent transport of the munitions. The PA's security forces are also conducting talks with activists from the armed organizations, warning them against firing Qassams.

However, the Southern Command is emphasizing that there are no signs of proactive steps by the security forces, such as arresting terrorists. The command is also attributing the relative quiet to the policies of the terror groups, which are under enormous pressure to calm things down in the northern Gaza Strip. The armed factions are aware of the opposition among the civilian population to the rocket launches from Beit Hanun, because of the damage done to the town by the IDF incursion, which was meant to pressure the population into pressuring the Qassam cells into ceasing their activity.

The defense establishment is not certain how long the quiet will last, especially in light of the basic Hamas desire to cause casualties ahead of Israel's disengagement. In discussions held by IDF and Shin Bet officers with PA security forces, the Palestinians asked Israel to restrain itself in case of isolated Qassam launches that might take place - as long as they don't cause casualties. "Let us take care of the problem," they said.