Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian Security Unit

Palestinian security forces man a Bethlehem checkpoint (File photo: AFP)
Palestinian security forces man a Bethlehem checkpoint (File photo: AFP)
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Israeli Forces Arrest Palestinian Security Unit

Palestinian security forces man a Bethlehem checkpoint (File photo: AFP)
Palestinian security forces man a Bethlehem checkpoint (File photo: AFP)

Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian security unit near Nilin, west of Ramallah, in a clear message to the Palestinian Authority (PA), as it also continues to prevent Palestinian forces from operating outside ‘Area A’ of the West Bank.

The Israeli unit detained at least ten security men while they were trying to arrest a number of wanted persons who hid in a car wash.

Nilin mayor Imad al-Khawaja said that the Israeli force that raided the area, detained the Palestinian security vehicle and took its members to a military checkpoint.

This is the first time, since ending the security coordination between Tel Aviv and the PA in May, that Israel has arrested Palestinian security men while on an official duty.

The arrest seems an Israeli message to the Authority that it is forbidden to operate in Areas B and C in the West Bank, under Israeli control.

The Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three regions: Area A under Palestinian security and civil control, Area B under Israeli security and Palestinian civil control, and Area C under Israeli security and civil control. Area C alone is about two-thirds of the area of the West Bank.

A source in the Palestinian security services told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel wants to destroy and weaken the PA.

He indicated that Israeli forces raid cities and arrest security men while on duty to weaken the authority, a policy followed by the occupation forces even before the security coordination stopped between the two.

The source stressed that the Palestinian security forces will continue their work in the areas under their control, and will not hesitate to pursue fugitives in 'Area C'.

The Authority launched a massive campaign in September to control the security situation in the West Bank, as officials accuse external and internal forces of spreading chaos for political purposes.

The Authority began this campaign after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree amending the Firearms and Ammunition Law, which increased penalties on possession, use, trafficking, manufacture and smuggling of firearms.

The decision was issued amid deteriorating security, economic and financial situation, and major regional changes that may create security threats.

The amendment also came after an increase in the use of firearms in different occasions in the West Bank, such as weddings or funerals and celebrations for the release of a prisoner, some of which caused the death of bystanders.

Bethlehem governor Major General Kamel Hamid said that the use of weapons in conflicts and family disputes is a dangerous and unacceptable phenomenon, calling for eradicating it before it leads to more bloodshed.

Hamid stressed that everyone is required to join efforts to provide security, safety and the rule of law.

The Palestinian police have recorded 43 murders since the beginning of the year, compared to 25 last year.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.