Palestinian Primier Fayyad to meet Israeli Defense Minister Barak on Wednesday

Tuesday March 25, 2008 15:16 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian and Israeli media sources stated on Tuesday that the Palestinian Prime Minister of the caretaker government Salam Fayyad will meet with the Israeli Defense Minster Ehud Barak in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Palestinian Prime Minister of the caretaker government Salam Fayyad - File 2008

Barak told Israeli media today that he intends to inform Fayyad of his decision to allow 600 Palestinian security officers, currently undergoing a US funded training course in Jordan, to enter the northern West Bank city of Jenin to resume policing duties in the city.

Kadura Mussa the Governor of Jenin said that he has not yet been informed of the Israel decision.

Last November Israel allowed the Palestinian Authority to bring in 700 security officers to the northern West Bank city of Nablus under the pretext of enforcing law and order.

The Israeli army continuously invades both Nablus and Jenin, often attacking Palestinian Authority buildings and personnel. Last month, undercover Israeli troops killed four Palestinian security officers as they were leaving work, the army claimed that they had ties to the resistance.

Under the Oslo peace agreement of 1993, the PA was given full control over major Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. In 2002 the Israeli army reoccupied all areas in the West Bank, and in the years that followed the army continued to attack Palestinian areas in the West Bank on a regular bases with constant deployment around major Palestinian cities and towns.

palestine | diplomacy | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org