Due to opposition from the security establishment, Israel has delayed a planned transfer of 25 armored personnel carriers to the Palestinian National Authority(PNA), originally scheduled for this week in the West Bank city of Nablus, Army Radio reported on Monday.
According to the report, Israeli senior security officials warned that if tensions were to escalate in the West Bank, the armored vehicles could pose a threat to Israeli army.
Reversing opposition to the transfer of the Russian-made vehicles to PNA security forces two years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved it last month, as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of last week's Mideast Conference in the United States.
In addition to the armored vehicles, Olmert also approved shipment of 1,000 rifles and 2 million rounds of ammunition for Abbas' forces.
However, Israeli military and security officials have opposed supplying Abbas' forces with armored vehicles, in part because of concern that they might fall into the hands of the militant groups, particularly the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which rules the Gaza Strip now.
Source: Xinhua
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