The Palestinian Authority will import 50 Russian-made armoured vehicles next month to boost its forces in the occupied West Bank, the authority's interior minister said Saturday.
"The Palestinian Authority will receive 50 armoured vehicles from Russia in the coming month," Abdelrazak al-Yehya told AFP, adding that the vehicles would "only be used to transport soldiers."
Earlier this month Israel had delayed the delivery of the vehicles over Palestinian demands that they be equipped with heavy machine-guns, which are forbidden to Palestinian security forces under the Oslo (autonomy) accords. Yehya said a deal had been reached with the Israelis, but he would not specify whether the vehicles would be armed or not.
Israel and the Palestinians last month relaunched Middle East peace talks after a seven-year hiatus, with Israel vowing to freeze settlement activity and the Palestinians agreeing to improve security in the West Bank.