Hundreds of newly-trained Palestinian police are on patrol in the West Bank, hoping to increase stability in its often lawless streets.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants Israel to ease its military occupation. But Isreal says that won't happen until Abbas shows he can provide security to his people.
The plan is to impose internal order, for Abbas to thwart Hamas and show that Palestinians are strong enough to have a state.
Most of a new paramilitary police force is being deployed to the volatile city of Nablus, a stronghold of Palestinian militants and criminal gangs.
Female police are part of a broader makeover of security forces loyal to Abbas.
"I hope to show what we can do for security," one policewoman proudly told 麻豆影视 of her new job.
The security rollout is a test for Abbas, a way to prove that he can assert and keep control of the West Bank as well as deliver a measure of security in talks with Isreal.
Yet the real security power is Israel, which routinely carries out arrest raids to hunt those on its list of most wanted. As a result, there are gun battles every night.
The army is looking for people like Raed, a man who says he's accused of training suicide bombers to attack Israel.
His commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, loyal to Abbas, claims his militants will do whatever the president orders, though they all still keep their weapons.
Palestinian officials warn 'Israeli interference,' especially in the staunchly militant refugee camps, will undermine their authority or smack of collaboration.
"Sometimes our police go and the army comes the day after," Nablus governor Jamal Al-Muhaisen said. "It makes it look like we are doing their work."
The security infrastructure was demolished by the Israeli army in the early days of the Palestinian intifada in 2000. Foreign governments are now pouring millions of dollars into training and equipment, and believe that stability may follow.
With a report from CTV Middle East Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer
