ISRAEL: In a boost to the chances of maintaining a two-month-old cessation of hostilities, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas issued orders yesterday for the consolidation of his security forces under a single command - a key American and Israeli condition for a return to negotiations.
But in Nablus, Palestinian militants threatened to end the calm with Israel after troops yesterday shot dead a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades in the West Bank city.
A senior security adviser to the Palestinian leader, Jibril Rajoub, said the unification of the security services "will help in restoring the rule of law and unify our effort to carry out reforms".
Since the intifada uprising erupted in September 2000, the 12 often-competing security services have functioned almost as independent militias, not answerable to a unified command. This reality, along with Israeli military raids, has contributed to a sense of lawlessness in the territories. Mr Abbas has pledged to consolidate these apparatuses into three security arms.
Despite Israeli criticism, Mr Abbas has chosen to pacify militant groups by attempting to bring them into the political process rather than using force to confront them. He has been trying, for instance, to incorporate members of militant groups into the security forces.
On the outskirts of Nablus yesterday, the Israeli army said troops opened fire and killed Ibrahim Hashash, a member of the Fatah-related Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades, after he fired at members of an undercover unit trying to arrest him. Military officials insisted Mr Hashash was planning an attack in Jerusalem and posed an immediate threat.
In Nablus, residents said Mr Hashash had not opened fire before troops began shooting at him. Mr Abbas called the killing a "serious violation" of an agreement he had reached in February with Mr Sharon for a cessation of hostilities.
The Israeli defence minister, meanwhile, yesterday ordered the army to come up with a plan for the collection of weapons in those Jewish settlements scheduled for evacuation under Mr Sharon's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip in late July. Shaul Mofaz said the move was aimed at ensuring there were no live-fire incidents when troops moved in to evacuate settlers from their homes. Mr Mofaz also said that troops conducting the evacuation would not be armed.