RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli government is expelling the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) force, the civilian observation mission that has monitored the divided city in the southern West Bank for more than 20 years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided Jan. 28 not to renew the TIPH mandate. “We will not allow the presence of the TIPH force that operates against us,” Netanyahu said in a statement to the press. Israel's Public Security Ministry accused the TIPH of cooperating with extremists and interfering with soldiers and police.