From Deseret News archives:
Palestinians deploy in Gaza
Police guarding against attacks on Israeli towns
The deployment, by Palestinians in various uniforms, some of them in new pickup trucks, was ordered by their new president, Mahmoud Abbas, after Israel threatened to move into Gaza in force to stop the attacks.
The action was the most visible sign to date that Abbas will try to control the militants and demilitarize the intifada, as he promised in his campaign. It was welcomed by Israel, which has demanded that Abbas take concrete steps to end attacks against Israeli civilians before political contacts are resumed.
But Friday's deployments, incomplete and somewhat symbolic, provide no guarantee of an end to the attacks, and Israel has promised to respond to "with great force" if they continue.
Abbas has made it clear that he is not willing to confront the armed radicals of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, let alone disarm them and destroy their weapons caches and rocket factories, as Israel insists that he do as part of the Palestinian commitment to the peace plan called the road map. Instead, he wants to co-opt the militants and negotiate a cease-fire with them.
Still, Friday marked an important tonal change. Abbas' predecessor, Yasser Arafat, did little to restrain the militants since the current intifada, or uprising, began in September 2000. Israel regularly charged Arafat with using terrorism as a tactic, while Abbas has opposed its use as counterproductive to negotiating an independent Palestinian state.
Friday is part of a four-day Muslim holiday, Id al-Adha, so Gaza was sleepy. About 10 members of the Palestinian security forces manned a post on the edge of town, a small increase, while others were deployed near the Erez checkpoint. The numbers increased during the day.
Another group of 75 men in nine pickup trucks provided a photo opportunity for the news media, then dispersed to various sites, with one group deploying in northern Gaza in a field often used for rocket launchings. In Beit Lahiya, about 70 members of Palestinian military intelligence, in red berets, were on patrol in trucks.
They are the first of what the Palestinians say will be 2,500 troops deployed throughout Gaza, which has been an almost lawless zone, with rival security forces controlling street corners and neighborhoods.
In honor of the Id al-Adha holiday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sent messages to Abbas and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei saying he hoped for peace and prosperity. Abbas responded that the two sides should work toward a peace agreement.
