Police (illustrative)
Police (illustrative)Thinkstock

Palestinian Authority police announced Wednesday that they had expanded the scope of their security control in Judea and Samaria following a deal with Israel. 

Palestinian police will, for the first time, launch armed patrols in towns near Jerusalem, which have largely been under Israel's security control since the Oslo Accords in 1993.

Spokesman for the police, Louy Izriqat, said 90 officers had been deployed to Abu Dis, A-Ram and Biddu. 

"An old agreement is being implemented today," Izriqat told Reuters. He added that officers, armed with assorted rifles and pistols, would mostly be fighting crime in the area. 

The IDF issued a similar statement recently, saying that a general in charge of Israeli forces in Judea and Samaria was opening a police station in towns near the capital "to address criminal matters as well as to maintain public order for the Palestinian population."

While Palestinian police are responsible for patrolling other parts of Judea and Samaria, it is usually only in areas under the direct control of the Palestinian Authority, such as cities Ramallah and Bethlehem. 

But the Palestinian town and neighborhoods near Jerusalem named by Izriqat have been almost solely under the control of Israeli security forces. 

The Palestinian police's newly increased presence throughout Judea and Samaria comes despite threats last month from PA leaders to halt all security coordination with Israel.