GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian General Directorate of Police denied Feb. 7 Israeli media reports on the orders given to policemen deployed in the villages of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and al-Sawiya in Area C in the northern West Bank. The reports claimed the Palestinian security forces were ordered to deploy in Area C under the security coordination in order to prevent Palestinian students from hurling stones at the vehicles of Israeli settlers.

Per the Oslo Accord, Area C, which makes up more than 60% of the West Bank, is under Israeli security and administrative control. Any Palestinian project in this area requires the approval of the Israeli authorities, including the deployment of Palestinian security forces, under the security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The General Directorate of Police explained in its statement that it deployed a group of unarmed security forces in civilian clothes in front of schools in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and al-Sawiya in order to protect the students from settlers’ attacks and help them cross the street to their schools, as well as prevent the interruption of classes.

The directorate stressed that the police measures were widely welcomed by the students’ parents in both towns.