[IMRA: No. This isn't a bad joke. President Bush and Secretary Rice will no
doubt praise the Palestinians for integrating a major terrorist group in the
Palestinain security forces. They can even have a ceremony - filming the
first half (where they hand over their illegal assault rifles) for Western
consumption and the second half (where they are armed with legal asault
rifles) for local consumption.]

PA plans to disarm Al Aksa Brigades
Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 23, 2005
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1129540587489&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Palestinians plan to begin disarming a major terrorist group in the
coming weeks by setting up training camps and incorporating its members into
the Palestinian security forces, officials said Sunday.

Dismantling the Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group linked to the
ruling Fatah party, which is in the midst of a power struggle, would mark a
significant step toward restoring law and order in the chaotic West Bank.

But previous attempts by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to control
terrorists have had little success, and it was unclear whether the latest
effort would work.

Abbas is under Israeli and international pressure to disarm terrorist
groups, which have killed hundreds of Israelis in the past five years. Abbas
refuses to confront the groups, fearing civil war, and instead has sought to
co-opt the gunmen with promises of jobs and political participation.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei announced the new plan after a
meeting of his top security chiefs Sunday.

"We have agreed today to establish five new camps for training and hosting
'stragglers,"' he said, referring to the Al Aksa members. He said the
disarmament efforts would begin in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and
Nablus, and then move into other areas.

Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, the top Palestinian security
commander, said the camps would be operational "within weeks."

Al Aksa spokesmen in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said they were confident
the movement would join the new plan. "In principle there are no problems,"
said Abu Ahmed, an Al Aksa official in Gaza.

Israeli officials received the announcement with skepticism. "There have
been a lot of declarations before. The most important thing is to see what
kind of action we have," said Dore Gold, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon.

Although Al Aksa is linked to Fatah, its thousands of members have
fragmented loyalties, and it is unclear whether terrorists would agree to
give up their autonomy. The disarmament plan also does not affect Hamas,
which has thousands of gunmen and has rejected Abbas' calls to lay down its
weapons.

With Palestinian security forces weakened by years of fighting with Israel,
armed groups operate with virtual impunity in the Palestinian areas. The
chaos has only heightened since Israel withdrew from Gaza last month, as
gunmen vie for power in the wake of the pullout.

Qurei said his security chiefs will next week visit Nablus, one of the most
volatile West Bank cities, to evaluate the security situation there and
provide the government with its recommendations.