Palestinians may halt security coordination with Israel

The Palestinian Authority may halt its security cooperation with Israel in a bid to penalize Israel for construction in the settlements, a senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, head of the PLO’s Executive Committee, told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds that the Palestinian leadership was studying the possibility of freezing security and economic ties with Israel in response to the deadlock in peace negotiations and the continued Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Close security coordination between Israel and the PA has nearly eliminated anti-Israeli terror activity in the West Bank over the past few years. But Hamas has insisted the PA halt all security ties with Israel as a condition for reconciliation with Fatah.

Abed Rabbo did not tie the move to pressure from Hamas.