Israeli, PA officials meet in bid to increase joint anti-drug efforts

[Behind the Aegis]

Police and Anti-drug Authority officials met Monday with their Palestinian counterparts at the Erez crossing on the Israel-Gaza border to discuss heightened cooperation in fighting the war on drugs.

The meeting took place weeks after the sides met in Cairo, were they decided, with the encouragement of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to increase their cooperation on the matter with each other and with Egypt.

The officials agreed to establish two committees to enhance cooperation. One committee will deal with coordinating police activities on both sides, and the other will work to draw up joint policies and examine the effects of drugs on society.

Anti-Drug Authority director Haim Messing said after the meeting that it was "important, and will allow cooperation that will go beyond security coordination to prevent smuggling." Walid Hadad, who oversees the Arab sector on behalf of the Anti-Drug Authority, said, "Drugs are a common enemy to both sides, and it is our duty to act together in order to rescue the younger generation from this plague."

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