Palestinian Forces Begin Gaza Deployment
January 21, 2005
EREZ CHECKPOINT, Gaza Strip – Palestinian security forces started deploying in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday in an effort to halt Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli targets and stave off a threatened Israeli military offensive.
A group of Palestinian police took up positions Friday morning on the Palestinian side of the Erez border crossing to Israel, site of a suicide bombing a year ago in which four Israelis were killed.
They were the first of hundreds of Palestinian police due to deploy in northern Gaza on Friday in hopes of ending the rocket attacks, the first result of renewed security cooperation that has led to hopes the two sides could end more than four years of bloody conflict and resume peace talks.