Will stopping security cooperation with Israel benefit PA?
Though Palestinian demands to end security cooperation between Tel Aviv and Ramallah are growing ever louder, coordination between Israel and the PA seems stronger than ever as both sides struggle to contain the unrest.
With Palestinian attacks against Israelis ongoing since the beginning of October, the political gap between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel has been widening. Israel has been accusing the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas of instigating the attacks — charges leveled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 15 and by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon on Oct. 23.
Interestingly, however, despite the almost complete political rupture between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, security coordination between Israel and the PA seems to be increasing.
In an Oct. 14 press statement, David Menachem, head of the Israel Defense Forces' Civil Administration in the West Bank, said security coordination between Israel and the PA was ongoing and had not changed despite the deteriorating security situation in the Palestinian territories.
The Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee demanded in a Nov. 4 press statement that security, political and economic relations be clearly defined with Israel. However, Amos Gilad, director of the Political-Military Affairs Bureau of Israel’s Defense Ministry, confirmed Nov. 27 that Palestinian security is working in full coordination with Israeli security services to keep West Bank security from deteriorating.
