Israel Says Palestinian Security Reforms Loom

In a rare note of optimism, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said preparations for a new Palestinian security apparatus--a key demand of the U.S. and Israel--are likely to begin this month.

Even so, Sharon said, the Palestinians have failed to keep their part of a tentative truce agreement. In a radio interview aired Saturday, he also repeated demands for a total cessation of violence and an overhaul of the Palestinian Authority before the peace process can be revived.

Early Saturday, Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip town of Deir el Balah detained six men and destroyed two buildings, one of which the army says was used to make weapons--a claim the Palestinians denied. The army said it also searched a Gaza office belonging to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement and found a “powerful explosive device.”

In the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, Israeli soldiers arrested Hamas militant Hisham Sharabaty.

In Jenin, about 200 Palestinian students defied a curfew imposed on most West Bank towns Saturday to keep militants penned in during the Jewish New Year. The students hurled stones at Israeli armored vehicles, which responded with automatic weapons fire, witnesses said. Hospital staff said four young people were injured.

The army said it was unaware of any large-scale demonstration in Jenin. It said that a gunman shot at an Israeli patrol there and that troops fired back.

Palestinian youths in the West Bank city of Ramallah also broke the curfew. Dozens of boys from the Al Amari refugee camp threw stones at Israeli army vehicles. Troops responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, but no injuries were reported.

Speaking to Israel’s Army Radio, Sharon said the rehabilitation of the Palestinian security forces was imminent.

“Training and preparation of a new security apparatus will, I estimate, begin during the course of this month,” he said. “That’s a beginning.”

Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiyeh said late Saturday that there was not going to be a new security apparatus but rather a “refresher” course for the already existing security forces.

Israel and the United States have demanded that the Palestinian Authority undergo a thorough overhaul, including the security forces.

Sharon said the security forces under Arafat had degenerated into terrorist organizations.