Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has resumed security coordination with the Israeli government, Palestinian officials confirmed this week.
Two weeks ago, President Abbas said he had frozen ties with Israel “on all levels” until it withdrew all new security measures on the Temple Mount. Israel on Wednesday removed newly installed metal detectors from the entrance of the Temple Mount compound, following a fortnight of deadly violence.
The violence erupted after Israel introduced new security measures at the Temple Mount holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem following the killing of two Israeli police officers in the area on the 14th July by Palestinian terrorists.
According to reports, the decision to resume security coordination was made during a meeting between President Abbas and Commander of the General Intelligence Service Maj. Gen. Majed Faraj.
A senior PA official from President Abbas’s office confirmed the decision, which included the renewal of economic cooperation, but noted that security coordination would be reinstated gradually and on the basis of developments on the ground.
The PA official also reportedly praised Israeli security services and the IDF for their handling of the mounting tensions over the holy site and expressed hope that the two sides were on the way to resuming working ties.
Israel and the PA consider security coordination, which has been in place for years, as critical to maintaining security and preventing terrorist attacks in the West Bank.
More than 30,000 PA security forces work with soldiers from Israel Defense Forces to keep a lid on violence in the West Bank.
