BICOM

Haaretz reports this morning that progress has been made in talks between Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials over limiting IDF activity in Palestinian West Bank cities and that Israel’s diplomatic-security cabinet will be briefed on the negotiations today.

It was first reported last month that talks had taken place between senior Israeli and Palestinian security and intelligence officials, during which Israel issued a proposal approved by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon. The plan would see the IDF restricted to operations to prevent a “ticking bomb” in Area A of the West Bank, which according to the Oslo Accords is designated for exclusive Palestinian security control. The proposal would also see a significant reduction in IDF activity in Jericho and Ramallah, as a pilot programme, which could be extended if successful.

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot is said to have subsequently confirmed the plan in a closed session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. However, PA representatives are thought to have rejected the plan, demanding a full timetable for the cessation of IDF activities throughout Palestinian areas of the West Bank.

This morning though, Haaretz says that several further meetings have taken place and although outstanding issues remain, talks have advanced. In a further sign of progress, the report suggests that Israel’s diplomatic-security cabinet will be updated on the discussions today. Initial reports of the plan last month angered some right-wing ministers including Likud’s Ze’ev Elkin and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, who said they had not been informed of the talks and objected to concessions at a time of intense violence. Prime Minister Netanyahu explained at the time that they had not been told of the meetings, because the PA had rejected the proposed plan.

Despite the current violence, high-level security and intelligence cooperation is thought to be ongoing between Israeli and Palestinian officials, as both sides fear the prospect of the West Bank falling into extreme Islamist hands.