Israel has put the brakes on a plan to allow Palestinian police in the West Bank to carry arms for the first time in more than three years to deal with internal unrest, security sources said on Tuesday.
Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz agreed last Thursday to let some police carry handguns in response to a request from the Palestinian Authority, which says armed officers are needed to restore order after a wave of kidnappings and internal clashes.
But the plan will not be put into action until security chiefs decide whether it risks Israeli lives, the sources said after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon drew fire from cabinet members opposed to the proposal.
Israel banned Palestinian security from carrying weapons several months after the outbreak of an uprising in September 2000, accusing them of involvement in the violence.