By YAAKOV KATZ
19/04/2010 01:40
Defense officials warn Fayyad public uprising could turn violent.
Talkbacks (11)
The army has begun looking into ways to crack down on the Palestinian Authority’s financial support of the so-called nonviolent public uprising it is supporting in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Leading efforts against the PA’s financial mechanism is the IDF’s Central Command, in conjunction with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
IDF sources said recently that PA officials, including Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, were directing and overseeing the weekly protests that the IDF faced in the West Bank, including in Ni’lin, Bil’in and near the Shavei Shomron settlement.
According to assessments within the Central Command, senior PA officials, and specifically Fayyad, are encouraging Palestinian youth to participate in the anti-Israel demonstrations held every Friday.
Defense officials recently met with Fayyad and warned him that he was on a slippery slope.
“We told him that the public uprising that they currently say is nonviolent could quickly turn violent and undermine efforts both sides are making to create stability in the West Bank,” a senior IDF officer told the Post last week.
Fayyad, the officer said, plans to continue cooperating on a professional level with Israel on economic and security issues, but at the same time has made a strategic decision to retain the right to protest against Israel.
Following Israel’s protests, Fayyad sent a number of top PA officials to mosques and community centers throughout West Bank cities and villages, to send a calming message and work to prevent an escalation in violence...
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http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=173464