RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians in the old town of Hebron were recently surprised to see armed and uniformed officers of the Palestinian security forces patrolling the town for the first time since 1997.

The city in the southern West Bank is divided into two parts under the Hebron Protocol signed in 1997 between Israel and the PLO. Area H1 covers 80% of the city and is under Palestinian control. Area H2 includes the old town, the Ibrahimi Mosque and some neighborhoods and is under both Israeli security control and Palestinian civilian control.

The pact followed bilateral agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the redeployment of Israeli military forces in Hebron based on the Oslo Accord.

Col. Ahmed Abu al-Rab, the director general of the Palestinian police in Hebron, told Al-Monitor the security delegation entered the old town on July 31 “in coordination with the Israeli authorities to reach out to the residents and show them that Palestinian security, although not [permanently] deployed in the area, is there to protect and assist them. This also conveys a message to lawbreakers that security forces can get to them no matter where they try to hide.”