TEL AVIV. Nov 3 (Interfax) - Israel believes the Palestinian security forces have no urgent need for the 50 armored personnel carriers that are currently in Jordan as a transit stage on their way to the Palestinian territories from Russia, which has sent them to the Palestinian National Authority with Israel's consent, a senior Israeli defense official said on Tuesday.
The Palestinians must fight terrorists, something for which they do not need massive eight-wheel Russian-made BTR-70 vehicles, Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's policy department, said in answering a question from Interfax. He was speaking in Tel Aviv.
Gilad said it depended on political developments whether Israel will allow the APCs to be forwarded to the Palestinians.
Israel had agreed to the APCs being supplied to the Palestinian security forces on condition the machineguns were removed.
The vehicles were brought to Jordan by sea on July 19.