Palestinian officials have denied that the PNA resumed on Saturday security cooperation, following threats by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to re-impose a total blockade on the Palestinians ahead of his visit to Washington, said reports.
Abdel-Razaq Majaydeh, the head of general security in the Gaza Strip, denied "any security meeting with Israel," according to AFP.
In a statement to Al Jazeera satellite channel Sunday morning, member of PLO executive committee Sameer Ghosheh reiterated the denial. However, Haaretz confirmed the reports, saying on Sunday that a meeting between the two sides took place.
An Israeli government source told the paper that only serious contacts had been made toward re-launching security cooperation.
Israeli radio also reported Saturday that a security meeting would be held in the coming days between Avi Dikhter, head of Israel's internal security service Shin Beth, and the Palestinian heads of preventative security in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Mohammed Dahlan and Jibril Rjoub respectively.
Palestinian sources were earlier quoted as saying Israeli and Palestinian officials met Saturday evening at the Erez border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to discuss the security situation in the Palestinian territories.
The meeting was the first since the hard-liner Sharon took office earlier this month.
Sharon had earlier sent a letter to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat "warning him that the easing of the blockade decided this week would be cancelled if the Palestinians did not put an end to violence and resume security cooperation."
"The Palestinian Authority may want to take advantage of the upcoming Arab summit to be held in Amman on March 27 and of the prime minister's visit to the US to spark off another burst of violence and show it has the power to destabilize the region," an official told AFP.
He also said "the Sharon government does not intend to transfer funds to the Palestinian Authority because this money would be used to pay those who shoot us, such as members of the Force 17," Arafat's personal bodyguard.
Israel collects customs duties and taxes on imported goods for the Palestinian Authority, but has frozen money transfers during most of the Intifada.
Israel announced Friday it had arrested three Force 17 members for attacks in which eight Israelis were killed and 20 more injured.
Within the same context, ahead of Sharon's arrival to Washington Sunday night, the Bush administration has announced it will give the new prime minister time to formulate his policy toward renewed negotiations with the Palestinians before America resumes any role as a mediator, US Secretary of State Colin Powell told Congress.
Powell, according to Haaretz newspaper, said that there cannot be any progress in the talks until there is a significant reduction in the level of violence between the sides.
Powell said the US was ready to intervene in the on-going conflict, but suggested it offer Sharon time to formulate a position that he believes he can "sell to the Israeli people." Powell said it would be difficult for Sharon to do this amid the current violence, but added that, when there is a reduction in the violence, Washington would be ready to fulfill its role as the traditional leader of the peace process in the Middle East, said the paper.
Powell said the United States has done everything to make regional leaders understand that the peace process cannot go forward "unless the violence is stopped."
Meanwhile, the paper said that the Israeli army has begun Sunday rebuilding 12 kilometers of border fence surrounding the Gaza Strip which was destroyed during the Intifada uprising.
Violent clashes continued overnight Saturday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Palestinians firing an anti-tank missile from the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza at the industrial zone adjacent to the Neve Dekalim Jewish settlement, said the paper, quoting Israel Radio.
Shots were also fired overnight at an Israeli army outpost near the Jewish settlement of Tapuach and at an army outlook in the West Bank city of Nablus - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
