Israel Matzav

Shocka: US-trained 'Palestinian police' not fighting terror

Terrorist activity has increased in Jenin since US-trained 'Palestinian police' deployed last month. I'm sure you're all shocked.

"The PA forces in the city are not combating the terrorists," one source said. "They are taking action to enforce law and order but they are doing nothing about terror which has grown in the past month since they deployed in Jenin."

The 600 PA soldiers, who underwent training by US defense contractors in Jordan, deployed in Jenin in May. Israel gave its consent for the deployment in March ahead of a meeting between Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Rice and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. Barak at the time approved the deployment as part of Israeli efforts to bolster Fayad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Another defense official said that even those terror suspects that were arrested by the PA forces were usually released days or even hours later. "There is no effective judicial system in the city," the official said.

...

The training of the force in Jenin and Nablus has been overseen by Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, the US Security Coordinator to Israel and the PA. Dayton has overseen the deployment in Nablus up close and was also involved in the recent deployment of PA forces in Jenin.

But here's the bigger worry.

A top officer in the Central Command also warned that weapons the US was providing to the PA forces were finding their way to Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists in Jenin as well as in Nablus, where 3,000 PA policemen and soldiers have deployed over the past year. In addition, terrorists have infiltrated the PA police and military ranks, he said.

Given how weapons that were given to Fatah ended up in Hamas' hands in Gaza, the only surprising thing about that is that no one has learned the lesson they should have learned from that experience. But an even bigger worry is the one that this article doesn't mention: the 'training' these 'Palestinian police' got was a farce.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:07 PM