Palestinian-Israeli Security Rift Said to Be Over

Yasser Arafat ordered Palestinian security forces Saturday to start cooperating again with their Israeli counterparts, ending an angry one-month break in contacts, Israeli army radio said.

The Palestinian Authority president’s reported concession followed Israeli-Palestinian security meetings mediated by U.S. envoy Dennis B. Ross, who returned to Washington on Saturday after his latest attempt to revive the Middle East peace process.

Arafat broke contacts with Israeli security forces in mid-March, angered by Israeli home-building in a disputed part of Jerusalem. The security cooperation had been one of the successes of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking and was considered crucial to preventing Islamic militant attacks against Israelis.

Building on the Har Homa housing project in traditionally Arab East Jerusalem prompted daily protests in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Arafat stop the riots and crack down on militants. Arafat has said that Israel must stop the construction in East Jerusalem and in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Although the United States has asked Israel to stop the Har Homa project, Arafat accuses Washington of taking Israel’s side by stressing that restoring calm is the priority now in the peace process.

If Palestinians do resume what had been regular security meetings with Israelis despite continued Jewish building in disputed areas, that would be seen as a major concession from Arafat. An advisor to Arafat, Marwan Kanafani, refused to confirm or deny the report.