Russian-made Palestinian missiles deter Israeli patrols
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, July 12, 2001
TEL AVIV Ñ Defense sources said Israeli police have sharply reduced flights over
the West Bank over the last few weeks amid alerts that the Palestinian
Authority or
allied forces have deployed shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles in the
area. The PA is believed to have received Soviet-made Strella SA-7 missiles
from Russia via Croatia.
"We have had to change the altitude and flight path so that we can
provide help without endangering ourselves," Asst. Comm. Shmuel Porat, head
of the police air unit, said. "We have reduced our flights in accordance
with the situation and under the circumstances, which have decreased in this
area.
The police have five aircraft, mostly helicopters. Their deployment in
the West Bank was meant to monitor Palestinian automobile theft of Israeli
vehicles as well as Palestinian infiltration.
Civilian aircraft flying over the West Bank have been ordered to remain
at an altitude of at least 8,000 feet of, or 2.5 kilometers, to keep out of
the range of the SA-7.
The police have received additional funds during fiscal 2001 to battle
Palestinian insurgency. On Monday, parliament's Finance Committee approved
close to $100 million to the police and another $470 million to the
military.
Finance Minister Silvan Shalom said the government plans to
allocate another 800 million shekels [$190 million] for the military and
security forces.
On Wednesday, Israeli officials confirmed and Palestinian Authority
officials denied a report in the Israeli Maariv daily that PA Chairman
Yasser Arafat has ordered his forces to kill Jewish settlers daily. Arafat
was said to have told his security chiefs to ignore his pledges to implement
a ceasefire in the war with Israel.
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