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WORLD NEWS Saturday 19 January 2019

Palestinian forces soldier on amid Israeli raids, US neglect

By MOHAMMED DARAGH- with Israel last year, the lat-
MEH est in a long line of heated
JOSEPH KRAUSS statements and empty
Associated Press threats.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) Abbas has always been
— On a cold winter's night staunchly opposed to vio-
earlier this month, a convoy lence. Cutting ties with
of 10 Israeli armored jeeps Israel would presumably
drove into the heart of the lead to the collapse of the
West Bank city of Ramallah Palestinian Authority. Is-
and parked in front of the raeli forces are deployed
Palestinian police head- across the occupied West
quarters. Bank, at military bases and
Soldiers fanned out, checkpoints between and
searching nearby shops for around nearly every Pales-
security cameras after a tinian town and city.
pair of recent shooting at- The funding and training of
tacks against Israelis in the Palestinian security forces
occupied territory. The raid was historically seen as part
attracted dozens of stone- of the process of building
throwing Palestinians, and an independent state. But
the Israelis responded with In this Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 file photo, Israeli forces deploy during a raid in the West Bank City there have been no mean-
tear gas and rubber bullets. of Ramallah. ingful peace talks in a de-
It was the latest in a series Associated Press cade, and the Palestinians
of Israeli raids into urban cut all contacts with the
areas that the Palestin- Palestinian Authority and woman whose baby later totaled $61 million last year. Trump administration when
ians say undermine their Israel have a shared en- died. Israeli forces killed The U.S. has provided more it recognized Jerusalem as
own U.S.-trained security emy in the Hamas militant one of the suspected gun- than $850 million to sup- Israel's capital, effectively
forces. Those forces have group, which drove Pales- men in December and ar- port the Palestinian security siding with Israel on one of
been coordinating opera- tinian security forces from rested the other earlier this forces since 2007, when it the most divisive issues in
tions with Israel in the West Gaza in a week of street month. Both were found ramped up assistance after the decades-old conflict.
Bank for years but ties have clashes in 2007, less than north of Ramallah. Hamas seized Gaza. These days, Abbas relies on
frayed as the peace pro- two years after Israel with- Palestinian security forces Nabil Shaath, an adviser the security forces to pre-
cess ground to a halt. drew from the territory. will face another setback to Palestinian President serve his increasingly un-
"This humiliates the Palestin- The Israeli military declined at the end of January, Mahmoud Abbas, said the popular rule. The security
ian Authority," said Zakariya to comment on the recent when the U.S. is required looming cuts should be of forces have helped keep
Musleh, head of Palestinian raids or the security coop- to cut off its financial as- more concern to the Unit- a tight lid on Hamas in the
military intelligence. "It's a eration. sistance because of a law ed States and Israel than to West Bank, where they
clear message from the oc- Alon Eviatar, a retired Is- known as the Anti-Terrorism the Palestinians. have been accused of hu-
cupying power that we are raeli colonel who served in Cooperation Act that was "They want that security man rights abuses. They
not a partner for peace." the Palestinian territories for passed with bipartisan sup- support," he said. "The most have also used force to
The Palestinian Authority nearly three decades, said port last year. unpopular thing we are do- break up protests against
has faced mounting pro- Israel is aware of the politi- Under the law, the Pales- ing now here is security co- Abbas' policies.
tests over the security co- cal pressure the Palestinian tinian Authority would be ordination with the Israelis. Alaa Lahlouh, a former Pal-
ordination as the Trump Authority faces. He said disqualified from receiving Believe me, that's not the estinian officer who now
administration pursues poli- Israeli forces only launch any U.S. aid unless it agrees way to put pressure on us." researches security issues
cies seen by critics as oblit- their own West Bank raids in to pay court judgments The U.S. aid is mainly spent at the Palestinian Center
erating whatever chance "sensitive cases" when they of up to hundreds of mil- on training and equipment, for Policy and Survey Re-
remains for a two-state so- need to quickly apprehend lions of dollars on behalf of and salaries will not be af- search, says the security
lution, from recognizing Je- an assailant or act on high- American victims of Pales- fected. Israel is believed to coordination is deeply un-
rusalem as Israel's capital to ly classified intelligence. tinian attacks. The deadline support the U.S. assistance, popular, but that authori-
cutting off economic aid to "The Israeli side was afraid for accepting that condi- but the prime minister's of- ties maintain it for political
the Palestinians. (of) a real escalation in the tion is Jan. 31. The adminis- fice declined to comment and personal reasons.
And yet the security coor- West Bank, especially in Ra- tration and some pro-Israel on the looming cuts. "The Palestinian Authority
dination with Israel has en- mallah," he said, referring members of Congress have As unpopular as the secu- believes the security coop-
dured for more than a de- to last month's shootings, in been looking for ways to rity coordination is, no one eration with Israel and the
cade, through one crisis af- which gunmen killed two Is- preserve the aid, but it's un- expects it to end anytime United States will enhance
ter another, including three raeli soldiers at a West Bank likely a fix will be found until soon. The Palestine Libera- its role as a political part-
wars in Gaza and clashes bus stop and wounded sev- after the shutdown ends. tion Organization's mini- ner," he said, adding that
at Jerusalem's holiest site. en Israelis outside a settle- The court settlements far parliament called for end- they also cooperate for
This is in part because the ment, including a pregnant exceed the aid itself, which ing security coordination personal reasons.q