The Palestinian Authority announced today that they would deploy hundreds of police and security officials along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel in order to prevent mortar attacks and the rocket fire against Israeli towns that has become so common in recent weeks. This is the first concrete sign of what many hope is a new spirit of cooperation between newly elected PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The decision was reached after a meeting between top Israeli and Palestinian military officials on Wednesday night which was designed to prevent an Israeli military move on the Gaza Strip to end the attacks.

The plan was described by Major General Moussa Arafat of the Palestinian security forces. 'We told them [Israeli generals] that we are arranging a plan to deploy the Palestinian security forces into both the northern and southern parts of Gaza,' Arafat told The Associated Press. 'In the first stage, it will be in the North, and then we will move into the South.'

Israel agreed to the plan and an Israeli official who requested to remain anonymous said, 'We are facilitating it and coordinating it [the plan], so it will go forward. We are waiting to see how effective they will be.'

Abbas now faces a difficult situation. Will PA security forces fire on members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad or even their own al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade if they try to make a terrorist attack against Israel? If so, what will the reaction of those groups be?

Thus far, Abbas has tried to negotiate with rejectionist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad but no agreement has been reached. The terror groups like Hamas have sent mixed signals regarding a willingness for a cease fire but thus far have said they will only stop attacks against Israel if Israel agrees to stop all military activity in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel has not agreed to this, citing problems with security.

Still, some negotiators are increasingly optimistic that an agreement can be reached between the PA and militant groups. Ziad Abu Amr told reporters, 'The parties were never closer to an agreement than they are now.'

Still, the threat of a fast regression exists. Israel has indicated that if the PA fails to prevent mortar attacks and rocket fire, they will be forced to take matters into their own hands. It may only take one act of terror to undo weeks or even months of negotiations.