Word: palestinian
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...difficult metamorphosis began in earnest last week when the Israelis completed their withdrawal from two enclaves of Palestinian self-rule, one surrounding Jericho in the West Bank, the other covering most of the Gaza Strip. In both areas, civilian affairs were turned over to P.L.O. control, as was public order and safety. To replace the occupying forces, some 3,000 Palestinian troops, arriving from exile mostly in Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, were put to work as soldiers and policemen -- a force that is to eventually grow...
...Gaza Strip there was trouble from the start. As Israeli soldiers pulled out of their last outpost in the city of Gaza, they were pelted with stones by Palestinian demonstrators. Yet stones could prove to be the least of Israel's problems. Under the self-rule agreement, about 5,000 Jewish settlers remain in the Gaza Strip. They are protected by Israeli soldiers and -- at least in theory -- by P.L.O. forces against Palestinian militants, especially Muslim extremists who remain opposed to peace with Israel. After the turnover, Jewish settlers were fired at and wounded on four occasions in the Gaza...
Guarding the roads on which the settlers and other Israelis travel through the autonomous regions is the task of joint Israeli-Palestinian patrols. In the strip, the Israelis complained, such missions were scarcely functioning -- because, they said, Palestinian security men were not showing up. A high- ranking Israeli military officer characterized the situation as "almost total anarchy...
...contrast, calm prevailed in Jericho, a generally peaceful town where militants have never gained a foothold. There, 730 Palestinian peacekeepers found themselves directing traffic and helping tidy up the city. "They are highly professional and give people a sense of security," said Emad Barahmeh, a Jericho shopkeeper. An Israeli lieutenant colonel concurred: "I have only compliments for their performance...
...well in Jericho. Two vehicles, one from each side, cruised the area together, flying bright saffron flags, their occupants communicating in Arabic, Hebrew and sometimes English on Israeli-issued Motorola radios. Said an Israeli soldier: "They were our enemies, but now we work together. We made the switch." His Palestinian counterpart added, "We are friendly with them, trading water, food and hot drinks...