Just an hour or so earlier, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz and PA chief Abu Mazen had met to finalize plans for the handover of security control of several Arab-populated cities in Judea and Samaria to the PA. The Kassam rocket did not sabotage the plan – but something else did, and the city of Jericho will in fact not be handed over this week.
Today's high-level Israel-PA meeting regarding Jericho did not end in agreement. PA sources said that Israel refused to remove several checkpoints around the city, and refused to give over control of the village of Ouja, just north of Jericho. The critical Jordan Valley highway passes directly through Ouja.
This is not the first time that the dispute over Ouja has held up the scheduled transfer of Jericho and environs to PA control; it happened almost a month ago as well. When the Oslo War began in 2000, Arabs from Ouja set up roadblocks and attacked Jewish travelers on the highway on a nightly basis.
The city of Tul Karem, in the western Shomron, is scheduled to be handed over to PA control next week.
Jews in Yesha have long protested the handover, saying that the removal of Israeli security control in the past has led to a marked increase in murderous Palestinian terrorism.
Today's high-level Israel-PA meeting regarding Jericho did not end in agreement. PA sources said that Israel refused to remove several checkpoints around the city, and refused to give over control of the village of Ouja, just north of Jericho. The critical Jordan Valley highway passes directly through Ouja.
This is not the first time that the dispute over Ouja has held up the scheduled transfer of Jericho and environs to PA control; it happened almost a month ago as well. When the Oslo War began in 2000, Arabs from Ouja set up roadblocks and attacked Jewish travelers on the highway on a nightly basis.
The city of Tul Karem, in the western Shomron, is scheduled to be handed over to PA control next week.
Jews in Yesha have long protested the handover, saying that the removal of Israeli security control in the past has led to a marked increase in murderous Palestinian terrorism.