GAZA CITY – The Palestinian Authority has established a Special Weapons and Tactics [SWAT] team with the help of Britain.

PA officials said the new unit would focus on battling organized crime in the Gaza Strip. They said the elite force would not confront Palestinian insurgency groups, Middle East Newsline reported.

"The mission of this new force is to control the Palestinian street and it has nothing to do with the resistance weapons," PA security chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Razik Al Majaydeh said.

Israel and the United States have urged the PA to dismantle insurgency groups and collect unlicensed weapons. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who has called for a ceasefire in the war against Israel, has vowed not to harm insurgency groups or confiscate their weapons.

Al Majaydeh said 750 officers were selected for the new anti-crime unit. He said training for the officers, who came from all parts of the PA security forces, took three months.

Officials said Britain helped equip the new force as part of an effort by donor nations to restore order in the Gaza Strip. They said Britain provided police vehicles, advanced communications and uniforms.

In the first stage of development, officials said, the SWAT unit would have 250 officers. The force would expand throughout 2005 and 2006.

"We want the Palestinian citizens to feel secure and safe from the ongoing chaos," Al Majaydeh said.

Al Majaydeh said the new anti-crime unit was coordinated with Palestinian insurgency groups. He did not elaborate, but PA security sources said the reference was to the ruling Fatah movement, which has been heavily involved in organized crime, particularly smuggling and car theft.

On Monday, Palestinian gunners fired Kassam-class short-range missiles toward Israel. Two missiles fired from the Jabalya refugee camp north of Gaza City landed in Israel's Negev Desert. Nobody was injured.