A force of some 300 Palestinian policemen to deployed in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian and Israeli sources reported Friday.
The deployment is part of an agreement between Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Acting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. It is a "test case" that might pave the way for a possible withdrawal by the Israeli military from the city and other areas in the future, an Israeli government official told the radio.
Palestinian officials claimed that if they prove able to impose law and order there, they can do so elsewhere as well. According to dpa, the Palestinian force underwent intensive training in the West Bank city of Jericho and is lightly armed.
