Palestinian prime minister vows to stop Israeli raids
A promise by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh to halt Israel's raids into Area A of the West Bank leaves Palestinians wondering what comes next.
Palestinian officials say the Israeli army is becoming more brazen with its prohibited raids of areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The prime minister in Ramallah recently promised to put a stop to the forays. How he plans to accomplish that, however, isn't clear.
Creating a political precedent, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told al-Quds newspaper Oct. 12, “We will prevent the Israeli occupation’s army from breaking into the West Bank’s Area A, without using violence, but rather with our bodies. Israel raids the [PA] areas, and the signed agreements don't allow such incursions to take place. We will break the status quo.”
This is the first time a senior Palestinian official has pledged to prevent the Israeli army from breaking into Area A without explaining how. It would seem difficult to do, as the PA is trying to rein in the armed factions that prevent Israeli incursions, and the authority doesn't encourage popular resistance in the West Bank.
Previously, when there were political contacts between the PA and Israel, the Israeli army did not conduct patrols in Area A, but rather delivered information to the Palestinian security agencies, which in turn would arrest a wanted person through security coordination between the two sides.
