MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax) - The 50 armored personnel carriers (APCs) supplied by Russia to Palestine in 2010 are still in the Jordanian territory because of the Israeli position, Fatah Central Committee member Nabil Shaath told Interfax in Moscow on Tuesday.
"They (the APCs) are still in Jordan. Russia's tried with Israel, we tried with Israel, we tried with Americans. Israelis won't allow any of these in," Shaath said, when asked by Interfax what happened to the APCs supplied by Russia.
"In fact today we are keeping the security of the West Bank and we have only gun for each three officers, so we have to keep security but we are not allowed to have the minimum to keep our security," the high-ranking Palestinian representative said after meeting with experts from the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
The official handover ceremony of the Russian APCs to the Palestinian side took place in Jordan on July 19, 2010. Palestinian drivers and mechanics were trained by Russian specialists to operate the fighting vehicles.
The Russian armored hardware will remain in Jordan while Palestine and Israel are negotiating the time frame and mode of its transportation to the West Bank of the Jordan River, the Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time.
The 50 BTR-70 APCs were taken from the Russian Defense Ministry's stock and handed over without weaponry. A decision to supply the Russian armored carriers to Palestinians was made a few years ago. In 2009 Israel gave its consent to the supplies, provided that the machines guns have been removed from them.