‘No terrorist attacks in response to Israeli moves’

Members of the Tanzim, the militant wing of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction, have replaced PA security forces in enforcing law and order in some parts of the West Bank, one of its commanders said Monday.

In addition, the Tanzim has not received instructions to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel in response to its intention to apply sovereignty to parts of the West

Bank, said Khaled al-Daher, a senior Tanzim commander in Eizariya, which is located near Ma’aleh Adumim in both Area B and Area C of the West Bank.

The deployment of the Tanzim members came in the aftermath of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s May 18 decision to halt security coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the IDF in protest against Israel’s plan to apply

sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, he said in an exclusive interview.

His men were now in charge of all affairs in the area, Daher said.

“The Palestinian leadership informed us that we are now responsible for civil peace and enforcing law and order,” he said. “Our role is also to prevent anarchy by stopping people from using live ammunition during weddings. The Tanzim has assumed the security responsibilities of the Palestinian security services. We have been assigned full power to deal with all issues concerning our people.”

The Tanzim was working in “full and complete coordination” with the PA and its security forces, Daher said.

Since Eizariya belongs to the PA’s Governorate of Jerusalem, the Tanzim reports directly to the PA governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Gheith, he said.

Tanzim members last week played a major role in preventing scenes of anarchy and lawlessness in Eizariya following an incident in which PA police officers shot and killed a resident of east Jerusalem, Ala’ al-Amouri, Daher said.

Amouri, 41, reportedly was killed during a scuffle that broke out between his family members and PA policemen over the ownership of a plot of land in the town. After he was killed, an arsonist set fire to the Eizariya Municipality building.

“Thanks to the coordination with our brothers in the Palestinian security forces and the governor, we managed to prevent a deterioration of the situation,” Daher said. “We managed to do so without the presence of the Palestinian security forces in the town.”

Asked if the Tanzim would launch terrorist attacks against Israel in response to the annexation plan, he said the main role of his men was to maintain law and order and protect the residents of Eizariya and their property.

“The military decision is in the hands of the Palestinian leadership,” Daher said. “Until now, the position of the Palestinian leadership and President Abbas has been to reject the military solution. For the Tanzim, the popular resistance remains the main tool at this stage.”

Reports that the PA had ordered the Tanzim to engage in anti-Israeli violence were part of an “attempt to destabilize the region,” he said, adding that the Tanzim does not want anarchy and “weapons chaos” in the West Bank.

“If that happens, it will be very bad for the Palestinian people,” Daher said. “Our leadership has repeatedly emphasized that it wants our struggle to be a peaceful one. We want a peaceful struggle, a popular resistance.” •