[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - PA forces recently deployed in Jenin are highly motivated to reduce the political and military capabilities of Hamas and of Islamic Jihad. "The enemy is whoever threatens the PA," Palestinian soldier Fa'id Yusuf explained. "And that mainly means Hamas. We are acting to enforce the law and against anyone who endangers us. We fought Israel in the past, I even stole cars from there, but now we've had enough. Now, give me peace with my cousins." Armed gunman have disappeared from the streets of Jenin and even of Kabatiya to the south, considered an Islamic Jihad stronghold. The green flags of Hamas have disappeared from the streets and Hamas welfare institutions have closed down. The commander of the Palestinian forces in the Jenin district, Maj.-Gen. Suliman Umran, says that Palestinian and Israeli officers are working together in an unprecedented manner in some Area B villages. "The young people who watch them are learning it's possible to cooperate. The Palestinian forces are different now," Umran said.
2008-05-21 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive