Palestinians recruiting police officers

JERUSALEM -- The Palestinians are recruiting thousands of police in the Gaza Strip to prevent attacks on Jewish settlers and soldiers during Israel's planned pullout from the area this summer, a security official said yesterday, a significant step toward coordination after months of deadlock and years of bloody conflict.

The new signs of cooperation, including a meeting of technical specialists late yesterday, were made despite a confrontation at a disputed holy site in Jerusalem in which Israeli police hurled stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian stone-throwers.

The violence erupted on ''Jerusalem Day," when Israel marks the anniversary of its capture of east Jerusalem -- home to the city's holy sites and Arab population -- in the 1967 Mideast war.

When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel announced his Gaza withdrawal plan last year, he envisioned the pullout as a unilateral act meant to boost Israel's security after several years of fighting.

The pullout also includes uprooting four isolated settlements in the West Bank.

Since the election of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian leader after the death of Yasser Arafat in November, Israel has expressed a willingness to coordinate the withdrawal. Those efforts, however, have yielded little progress.

Some 1.3 million Palestinians live in Gaza, an impoverished, densely populated area where the militant group Hamas is popular. Israel wants assurances that the 8,500 settlers slated for evacuation and the soldiers being sent to carry out the mission, won't be harmed.

Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said the Palestinians are recruiting 5,600 police officers in Gaza to ensure security during the withdrawal. He said they want to prevent damage to abandoned properties and ensure that Israelis are not attacked.

''The plan includes protecting any installations or houses or facilities that Israel leaves, and to prevent any action from the Palestinian factions," he said.

The Palestinian forces are ready to coordinate their actions with Israel or act on their own, he said, adding that he does not expect any trouble from militant groups, which have largely been honoring a four-month cease-fire with Israel.

''We want to make the Israeli withdrawal smooth and fast," he said. ''If they are leaving, we should not impede them."

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz of Israel promised harsh retaliation if any attacks are staged during the pullout. Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Mofaz said he has asked the Palestinians to deploy a large force during the monthlong operation to ensure quiet, participants at the meeting said.

''We will do everything possible to coordinate the disengagement with the Palestinians," Mofaz said.

Palestinian officials said technical teams from the two sides were meeting yesterday evening to discuss coordination. The Palestinians said the Israelis were to hand over maps of Jewish settlements in Gaza, which the Palestinians say are vital for preparing for the post-Israel era. Turning over such sensitive information would be a significant step by Israel.

''I know the Israelis promised to hand over the inventory, not just of the settlements themselves but also of things like water, and we hope that will happen at this evening's meeting," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. There was no immediate Israeli comment.

In addition to the threat of Palestinian attacks, Israel is bracing for the possibility of violence by settlers. Many Gaza settlers oppose the pullout, and some extremists have pledged stiff resistance.

Mofaz said during his parliamentary testimony that the military will forcibly disarm settlers who do not turn in weapons voluntarily.

Mofaz also said he would urge settlers to send away children before the withdrawal to spare them traumatic sights.

In Jerusalem, meanwhile, some 3,000 police were deployed to prevent friction on Jerusalem Day, which Israelis mark with marches and speeches.

With tensions high, a confrontation erupted yesterday morning as several Jewish visitors toured the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, accompanied by police.