By SPA,
Jenin, West Bank : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s security forces began deploying to the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday for a law-and-order campaign meant to show the government is laying the ground for statehood, Reuters reported.
Jeeps and buses carrying up to 500 security men left West Bank cities for Jenin in coordination with Israel. Another 150 men already in Jenin will also take part in the campaign, which Washington sees as a proving grounds for Abbas’s forces.
The campaign will cover a total of 50 villages and is supposed to last three months, a senior Palestinian official said.
Meanwhile, the forces commander Suleiman Amran told the Associated Press that it’s an important day for the town and that there’s no chance for troublemakers to return to Jenin.
Israel has welcomed the Palestinian efforts, but continues to conduct frequent arrest raids in the West Bank. Palestinian officials have complained that such raids undermine their security plan.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in the region on Saturday.