[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel - Fatah is enjoying a genuine resurgence in the West Bank, partly because the image of Hamas is even worse. There are no more Fatah gangs or gunmen. There is the PA headed by Abbas, which has restored law and order to Palestinian cities. Terror in the West Bank has entered a deep freeze due to the ongoing efforts of the IDF and the Israel Security Agency, and the heightened coordination between Israel and the PA security apparatuses. Most of the known wanted men from Hamas have been killed or arrested, while a small number are still underground. Their Fatah counterparts have joined the "arrangements for wanted men" between the PA and Israel. In effect the West Bank has returned to the way it was prior to September 2000, when the second intifada erupted. However, IDF commanders must constantly be on the lookout for an immediate and unexpected transition from relative quiet to a violent confrontation, perhaps even with the trained security forces of the Palestinian Authority.
2009-08-07 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive