Israel has allowed the Palestinian Authority to buy ammunition for the Kalashnikov assault rifles in its possession, said Palestinian sources in Gaza yesterday.

These sources said: “our ammunition has run out and we’re going to need it to provide security both during the evacuation and after it.”

Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef made a request to purchase the ammunition more than three months ago in the course of a meeting he held with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. Officials in Yousef’s office said that Mofaz replied: “there’s a lot of ammunition in Gaza. Buy it on the black market.”

The Americans applied pressure on Israel recently to allow ammunition to be purchased, and this issue was raised in the course of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit. A decision ultimately was made to allow the Palestinians to buy the ammunition via Egypt because Israel was averse to providing it directly to the PA.

This piece ran in Yediot Ahronot on July 31st, 2005

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR