The weapons shipment was arranged by the United States and approved by
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert met PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in
Jerusalem on Aug. 31.
Officials said Israel delayed the shipment until the military received
details of PA weapons and munition deployment. Palestinian insurgents were
found to have used PA rifles and other weapons in attacks on Israel.
The PA, which concluded a security training course on Sept. 2, has
launched an anti-crime offensive in the West Bank that also targeted the
opposition Hamas movement. Officials said the effort sought to block
financing to Hamas institutions in the West Bank.
"We will not allow possession of weapons by anyone except security
services," PA Col. Misbah Al Baba, commander of the National Security Force
in the Tulkarm district, said.
In July 2008, Israel allowed the transfer of 25 Russian-origin armored
combat vehicles to the PA. The Israeli military insisted that the vehicles
arrive in
the West Bank without machine guns.
The Israeli military has determined that Fatah insurgents continued to
have access to PA weapons. On Sept. 3, Israeli troops arrested five PA
intelligence operatives in Hawara near Nablus.
The PA operatives, all of them members of Fatah, were accused of
operating without Israeli permission. Officials said Israel seized PA
weapons, ammunition and tactical
communications systems.
