Three hundred Palestinian Authority police officers have left Shechem to undergo training in Jordan, according to Maariv. The officers were part of a group of 500 that were stationed in the city several weeks ago in an attempt to create order. PA officials said the decision to send the officers to Jordan was a routine part of the effort to improve PA security. The training in Jordan will last for approximately four months.
IDF officials said that despite the PA presence in Shechem over the past several weeks, the city remains a hotbed of terrorism. Officials expressed concern over the decision to send 300 PA officers abroad, saying their absence could create a power vacuum and lead to the strengthening of local terrorist groups.