American-trained police Palestinian Authority (PA) police in Shechem came under fire by Hamas terrorist in Shechem this week when the city's governor tried to visit the Hamas stronghold of Balata. Police hastily took the city's administrator, Jamal Muhaisen out of the neighborhood, but local Arabs were able to set fire to his car.

Last year, Israel agreed to allow the PA to deploy several hundred policemen, who were trained by American army officers in a Jericho training base, The Bush administration is banking on the police to prove to Israel that it can maintain law and order in the city and control terrorism.