RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Authority, represented by a delegation headed by Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, agreed on a six-month temporary truce with the Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin tribe on Aug. 11. The agreement comes on the backdrop of the Aug. 9 killing of Ibrahim Audi al-Jahalin in the Arab al-Jahalin village outside al-Eizariya in East Jerusalem. Investigations into the incident are expected to be completed during the truce.
Tensions started when the PA customs police raided the Bedouin communities in the Judean desert on Aug. 9. They destroyed fuel stations in al-Eizariya that the PA claims are illegal as they lack permits and sell smuggled and low-grade diesel. PA forces chased diesel smugglers and opened fire, killing one young man. His death triggered a series of clashes between the tribe and the security forces.
