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The Palestinians will deploy hundreds of police officers along the Gaza-Israel frontier in coming days to prevent rocket fire and other attacks on Israeli towns, in the first act of security cooperation with Israel under Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, officials said Thursday. Abbas ordered the troop deployment after a meeting Wednesday night between Israeli and Palestinian generals, convened in a last-ditch effort to avert an Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The meeting signaled that Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are succeeding to defuse their first crisis, though the situation remains highly volatile and renewed rocket fire by Palestinian militants could trigger major violence. Only last week, Sharon had announced he was boycotting the Palestinian leadership to protest what Israel said was Abbas' lack of determination to rein in militants. Abbas has been holding talks with leaders of militant groups in Gaza since Tuesday, and his aides said he was edging closer to a truce deal with them. The militants say they are ready to halt attacks, provided Israel stops military operations — a promise Israel has refused to make.