Israeli and Palestinian Security Officials to MeetIsraeli and Palestinian security officials are to meet Wednesday, the first formal security cooperation talks in more than a week, Israel's Army Radio reported a short while ago.The aim of the talks is to try to find ways to quell the violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to the report. Israel Defense Forces' commanders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as their Palestinian counterparts, are to participated in the meeting. The venue was not disclosed. The talks were made possible after Yossi Ginossar, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's envoy who also developed warm relations with Palestinian leaders, met with Mohammed Dahlan, head of Palestinian Preventative Security Forces in Gaza Strip, late Tuesday night, the report revealed. Local analysts hoped that a series of talks between the two sides could reduce the levels of tension in the region, which has been rocked by clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors for nearly a month. Over 120 Palestinians had been killed and thousands more wounded in the Israeli crackdown. The violence also damaged the delicate mutual trust between Jews and Arabs and halted the peace process. |
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