Israel allowed an arms shipment to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.
About 1,000 Kalashnikov rifles and tens of thousands of bullets reached Palestinian security forces via Jordan a week ago, an Israeli security official said Friday, according to The Associated Press.
The shipment of arms, meant to bolster P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas’ more moderate Palestinian forces against extremist elements including Hamas, was agreed upon in an Aug. 31 meeting between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the report said.
This is not the first time Israel has allowed arms shipments to reach Abbas’ forces. However, the arms transfers remain sensitive because Israeli-orchestrated arms deliveries to Palestinian forces in the past have been used against Israeli soldiers – most notably, in the 1990s.
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