Gaza Strip

Police say they won’t, can’t restrain militants

Palestinian policemen, who have been given the task of restraining militants, say they can’t or won’t do the job. Interviewed at their front-line positions, some say they feel sympathy for the gunmen, while others fear getting shot at by Israeli troops.

The shortcomings of Palestinian police were evident last week when officers stood by as Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets and mortar rounds at Jewish settlements in Gaza.

After the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in 2000 many policemen joined the battle and Israel targeted security installations in Gaza, leaving the security forces in tatters.

Abbas must now depend largely on the good will of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups to uphold a fragile truce with Israel.

The Palestinian president has promised to clean house, and fired nine police commanders in recent days, but overhauling Gaza’s 17,000-member police force will take time Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ security adviser Jibril Rajoub said.

South Korea

Officials propose talks on nuclear weapons

South Korea has proposed high-level military talks with North Korea, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday, as tensions on the divided peninsula reached new heights over the North’s announcement that it has built nuclear weapons.

Seoul officials have said it’s too early to declare the North a nuclear power, saying the alleged weapons haven’t been tested or confirmed.

South Korean intelligence officials said today that North Korea lacks technology to load nuclear weapons on missiles but could place them aboard an aircraft for delivery to targets, according to a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.