GAZA CITY – The Palestinian Authority has been training a special
forces unit.to guard Israeli communities evacuated in
July 2005.
Palestinian officials said the PA forces would prevent hostile elements, such as
Islamic opposition groups, from taking over the communities.
Israel has expressed concern that the 21 communities in the Gaza Strip
slated for evacuation would be taken over by Hamas. The government of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said it would be prepared to destroy all of the
housing in these communities to prevent them from being exploited by the
Islamic opposition.
The PA special force would contain more than 4,000 people, officials
said. They said the officers would come from a range of PA security agencies
and trained in riot control, Middle East Newsline reported.
"If the settlements are kept intact, then Palestinian security forces
will deploy in those areas prevent illegal entry or
damage," Preventive Security Apparatus director Col. Rashid Abu Shback said.
About 20,000 Palestinian security officers were expected to be deployed
to accept control of Israeli communities in the Gaza Strip. Another
four Israeli communities in the West Bank were scheduled to be transferred
to the PA during the summer of 2005.
