Israel has rejected a request by the United States to supply the Palestinian police with weapons to help them maintain law and order in the Palestinian Authority areas
‘Let them first take the weapons from the ‘terrorists.” Israeli officials responded to
American officials, who over the past few days requested that Israel allows equipping Palestinian security forces with need weapons to maintain order in the Palestinian territories.ÂÂ
The Americans has expressed interest in training Palestinian security forces and in supplying them with appropriate equipment.
Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef has made it clear that his security forces are in need for weapons in order to enforce law and safeguard security in the Palestinian territories.
The U.S.’s security coordinator in the Middle East, Lieutenant General William Ward, apparently stands in support to the Palestinian request.
Israeli official sources denied receiving an explicit U.S. request on the matter.
‘They only reported to us on the Palestinian requests. One of the things was to get weapons; they received a negative answer and that was that,’ the source said.
Israel has also dismissed a request made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Palestinian police with armored vehicles.
Israel constantly demands that the PA security moves swiftly and forcefully against Palestinian resistance groups, but apparently want them to do it barehanded.
