Whence this suicidal impulse?
“Barak mulls weapons transfer to Fatah,” by Yaakov Katz for the Jerusalem Post (thanks to all who sent this in):
Defense Minister Ehud Barak is considering approving a US plan to allow the transfer of weapons, protective gear and night-vision goggles for Palestinian security forces in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The American request, which is expected to be officially submitted to the Defense Ministry by Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton – the US security coordinator to Israel and the PA – in the coming days, will be one of the issues topping the agenda of Barak’s meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad on Wednesday.
Defense officials in Jerusalem said it was likely that Israel would approve the request, noting that it had allowed the transfer of weapons to the PA in the West Bank since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June.
Next week, the officials said, the PA will finally receive the 25 armored vehicles from Russia that Israel approved for delivery in November….