Residents of the Palestinian controlled town of Beit Jala are voicing their opposition to armed Fatah and Tanzim snipers using the town's buildings to shoot at civilians living in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Two week ago, the residents circulated a leaflet with names of Tanzim gunmen who act against Israel. According to an Israeli security official, the image of the Tanzim in Beit Jala changed from freedom fighters to racketeers and they are now the focus of harsh criticism by Beit Jalla residents. The security official also said that an investigation is underway to find whether Tanzim activists are confiscating and selling food distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) to the civilians of Beit Jala.

Referring to a gun battle between the Tanzim and Israel Defense Forces soldiers at the beginning of the week in which four Israeli civilians were wounded, the official said that the Tanzim, which has no ideology, will not survive in Beit Jala. "Terror cannot thrive when it is not supported by the local population," he said.