The Israeli defense establishment is considering using the run-up to the Palestinian presidential elections on January 9 to help put a new security regime in place in the Palestinian areas, The Jerusalem Report has learned. The idea is to reduce the Israeli military presence in those areas to a minimum and hand over as much security responsibility as possible to the Palestinians themselves.

The initial plan was to pull the army out of Palestinian towns and cities 24 hours before election day and to move back in 24 hours after. But now the defense establishment is considering staying out for longer, to test whether the newly installed Palestinian leadership can prevent terrorism. A senior Defense Ministry official told The Report: "We will pull out of Palestinian areas to facilitate free elections and freedom of movement on election day. Whether or not we stay out will depend on what they do to fight terror."

As soon as campaigning starts, on December 26, the IDF intends to significantly reduce its activities in the Palestinian areas, and on January 8, the army will pull out of Palestinian cities and towns altogether. Palestinian security personnel may be authorized to carry rifles in and around the cities, the so-called "A" areas that are supposed to be under Palestinian security control, and pistols in the rural "B" areas, under joint Israeli-Palestinian security control.

"We have not yet decided whether we will allow Palestinian policemen to carry arms, but our inclination is to allow them whatever they ask for," the official said. He added that the IDF will also reduce the number of roadblocks to facilitate freer movement between Palestinian towns and cities on election day. If terror flares up again, the IDF will return to the towns and cities, and re-impose the roadblocks. But if relative quiet prevails, the new situation will be allowed to continue for a trial period.

Israeli officials have been encouraged by the fact that in interviews, Mahmud Abbas, the leading candidate for president, has said he will not tolerate terrorist operations against Israel by the radical Hamas or any of the other armed militias. Now, it seems, they are ready to put him to the test.

The January 9 election will be monitored by about 250 international observers. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter will head a 90-member supervising committee. The election will be conducted according to the 1996 model, in which East Jerusalem Palestinians voted at post offices, rather than at regular polling booths. Israel did not want to deny East Jerusalemites the right to vote, but at the same time did not want the fact of their having voted to imply anything about the territorial status of disputed East Jerusalem. The dilemma was resolved by having them cast what could be regarded as a postal vote. The same procedure will be followed this time too.