Caught Between Protesters and Israel, Palestinian Security Forces Shift Tactics
At its peak, the coordination between the two sides was tight and personal, with local officers meeting or calling one another five or more times a day and senior commanders meeting every week or so, said Avi Issacharoff, an Israeli reporter who focuses on Palestinian affairs.
.. One hazard for the Palestinians is the threat that Hamas could pose in the West Bank if security cooperation ended. An expansion of Hamas’s presence from Gaza to the West Bank would risk upturning Mr. Abbas’s government. Scaling back coordination would also antagonize international donors who help fund the Palestinian Authority and risk the collapse of the security forces themselves.
.. Palestinian forces no longer try to prevent protesters from heading toward Israeli checkpoints and watchtowers. Instead, plainclothes officers just watch for instigators and weapons beyond stones and firebombs.