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Israel, Palestinians fail to reach agreement over scope of IDF West Bank activity
According to various reports, Israeli and Palestinian security officials have conducted behind the scenes talks recently over an Israeli proposal to reduce IDF activity in Palestinian West Bank areas. However, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has apparently rejected the plan, saying that it does not go far enough.
The proposal, which is said to have been approved by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, would see the IDF restricted to operations to prevent a “ticking bomb” in Area A of the West Bank, which according to the Oslo Accords is designated for exclusive Palestinian security control. However, since the Second Intifada, Israeli forces have operated more widely in these areas to make arrests and prevent attacks. The proposal would also see a significant reduction in IDF activity in Jericho and Ramallah, as a pilot programme, which could be extended if successful.
Those heading the talks include Israel’s Coordinator of Government Affairs in the Territories head Gen. Yoav Mordechai, Head of IDF Central Command Ronny Numa, PA Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the PA intelligence services Mahjid Faraj, and the PA’s head of preventive security, Ziyad Hab el-Reikh. According to both Haaretz and Times of Israel, PA officials rejected the plan, demanding a full timetable for the cessation of IDF activities throughout Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Although Israel Radio reports that the talks are at an impasse, an unnamed Israeli official told Haaretz that discussions are stuck, but not dead.
It is thought that Israel and Palestinian security officials have met on several occasions recently, to reaffirm security cooperation between them, especially as both Israeli and Palestinian leaders fear the prospect of the West Bank falling into extreme Islamist hands. Earlier this year, Majed Faraj, director of PA intelligence claimed that PA security and intelligence forces had prevented 200 attacks against Israelis, confiscated weapons and arrested about 100 Palestinians since October.