Under the proposal, the PA would be granted security responsibility for
Abu Dis, part of which is formally within the Israeli municipal boundaries
of Jerusalem. For nearly 20 years, successive Israeli governments have
rejected PA demands for Abu Dis, cited as the future seat of Palestinian
government.
Officials said Netanyahu and his senior Cabinet ministers were
considering the U.S. demands, which included the continuation of a freeze of
Jewish construction in most of Jerusalem. They said Mitchell presented the
proposed measures as a way to maintain U.S.-sponsored proximity talks
between Israel and the PA.
PA police maintain a small number of officers in the part of Abu Dis
that is outside Jerusalem. Under the U.S. proposal, the PA would have the entire
town of 12,000, and Palestinian police would be allowed to carry weapons.
Officials said the PA has detected efforts by the opposition Hamas to
use Jerusalem as a base of operations in the West Bank. The PA has accused
Hamas of building a weapons arsenal in the area.
"On the one hand, the organization is punishing those who launch rockets
in Gaza, while at the same time it stores weapons in the West Bank," PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat.
Abu Dis itself has been separated from the rest of Jerusalem by Israel's
security barrier along the West Bank. Officials said the PA has informally
become responsible for most services in the town since the Israeli
construction of the concrete wall in 2008.
The PA has also demanded a presence in the rest of Jerusalem. Officials
said the PA, supported by the United States, has sought to renew operations
from several Palestinian-owned buildings in eastern Jerusalem.
"We expect that there will be changes on the ground seen over the next
few weeks," the official said.
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