[Jerusalem Post] Khaled Abu Toameh - U.S. security coordinator Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton visited Nablus Thursday for talks with PA security officials on the PA's security plan to deploy some 500 policemen in Nablus, the largest West Bank city, as part of an effort to end the state of lawlessness and anarchy and undermine Hamas' influence. "This is where the Palestinian state will get its first real test," Dayton said. "When you succeed in Nablus, it will send a message throughout the West Bank and it will send a message to your neighbors that you're serious about law and order and that you can do the job." It's not clear if the PA intends to deploy its forces inside the three main refugee camps surrounding Nablus. Previous attempts by the PA to dispatch policemen to the camps were foiled by members of Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, who, according to local residents, are largely responsible for the ongoing state of anarchy.
2007-10-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive