Israel to Arm Abbas to Take on Hamas: Official

The transfer, which was approved by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, will allow Abbas to "carry out the courageous decision he made and contend with Hamas," said Gilad, who heads the Defense Ministry's political-security division, Israel's mass-circulation newspaper Haaretz reported.

Gilad told Israel Radio the weapons are meant to allow Abbas to preserve order in the chaotic West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"I'm not saying the chairman's life is in danger," he said. "This is a wide policy intended to allow him to cope with those who are disrupting order and turning the Palestinian Authority into a violent entity," he said.

Olmert and Peretz decided to transfer the arms prior to the prime minister's departure for the United States earlier this week, Channel 2 reported Thursday, May25 .

Senior defense sources said Thursday that the arms will be delivered to the guard by way of a third-party state, chiefly Egypt or Jordan.

"I can't tell you the exact amount of weapons, but it is a limited amount intended for the purpose of securing Abbas' ability to protect himself on the backdrop of the important decisions he makes," added Gilad.

Public radio reported the decision followed the recommendation of all Israel's security agencies and with agreement from Olmert.

Security officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the delivery will be made at the request of Abbas and under Israeli security supervision.

Spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency Nabil Abu Rudeinah denied in statements aired by Al-Jazeera satellite channel that Abbas has made any request.

Around 3 , 000officers are thought to serve in Abbas's presidential guard, also known as Force17 , which was set up by his late predecessor Yasser Arafat.

Special Force Withdrawn

On the ground, a new security force set up by the Palestinian Interior Ministry withdrew from the streets of the Gaza Strip Friday.

"We have withdrawn our forces from all locations after a decision from Interior Minister Said Siam," Yussuf Al-Zahar, a force commander, was quoted as saying by AFP.

"Forces from the police and regular security forces will deploy in their place."

Fatah welcomed the move 11 days after the force was deployed, provoking repeated clashes between the special force and the traditional Fatah-dominated security services.

"Their presence was illegal and illegitimate to begin with, but we welcome this move to help the Palestinian people by removing of one of the central reasons of the tension in the Palestinian streets," said Fatah spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khussa.

On the streets of Gaza City, which were calm on the traditional Muslim day of prayer and rest, members of the new force were nowhere to be seen.

Members of the presidential guard had replaced the force on some street corners.

Elsewhere, other security forces had deployed.

"There is no member of the Hamas force present any more. They have pulled out," said a national security captain. "Only the police and the security services will apply the law now."

Ultimatum

The decision comes with Palestinian factions to begin a second day of crisis talks aimed at defusing ongoing clashes between the ruling Hamas movement and Fatah.

Abbas gave Thursday the Hamas-led government 10 days to back a proposal agreeing to a peace settlement if Israel withdraws from all of the West Bank and Al-Quds (East Jerusalem), occupied since the 1967 Middle East war, Reuters reported.

The proposal was drawn up in an Israeli jail by senior prisoners from factions including Hamas and Fatah.

"If you do not reach an agreement, I would like to tell you frankly that I will put this document to a referendum," Abbas said.

If an agreement is not reached on the proposal, the referendum would be held in 40 days' time, Abbas said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said the idea of such a referendum would be studied on the basis of "how much it conforms to the law as well as its political ramifications."

Experts say a referendum would amount to a confidence vote that could bring to a head the growing power struggle between Abbas and Hamas.

Hamas, which beat Abbas's Fatah group in January elections, has refused to bow to pressure from Western countries to soften its stand on Israel despite an aid boycott that has brought the Palestinian Authority to near collapse.

Haniya said on Tuesday that Israel must first end its occupation of the Palestinian territories before getting peace.

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